You cant break a broken heart
by Minerva's Gryffindor
Summary: Hermione decided to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays and help the staff rebuild the damaged castle after a recent battle with Voldermort's followers. But will a threat made be enough to bring the witch closer to Minerva? not DH compliant.
1. confrontation

You can't break a broken heart

_Hermione decided to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays and help the staff rebuild the damaged castle after a recent battle with Voldermort's followers. But will a threat made be enough to bring the witch closer to Minerva?_

_AN – please review nicely. I haven't published anything for a while because of my exams. Remember, more reviews means more chapters. :)_

Chapter one

Rejection

1O minutes. That's how long it had been since Hermione had run out of Minerva's office in tears. She knew that partially it was her fault, and that she should be grateful that Minerva hadn't made the situation worse by demanding to know what had caused it, but still the pain that coursed through Hermione's vein was excruciating. Bursting through the portrait, Hermione flung herself onto the sofa in front of the fire, hot tears rolling down her cheeks despite her futile efforts to wipe them away. Something soft gently brushed itself against Hermione's hand. Hermione looked down; her heart sinking when she realized it was Crookshanks, not Minerva. She scooped up the large ginger cat, holding him close as the tears began to flow anew.

"What have I done Crookshanks?" Hermione sobbed. The large cat mewed softly, offering his owner comfort with his presence. Hermione felt her eyes grow heavy. She had no idea how long she had remained there her silent sobs racking her body until the physical and mental exhaustion took over.

-/-

Minerva stared at the door that her protégé had just run out of. Minerva knew she should go after her, but how could she? Hermione had just dropped a bombshell on her doorstep. Sighing loudly, Minerva wiped her eyes, not surprised to find her tears had not yet dried. Reaching behind her, she grabbed a bottle of fire whisky, her hand hovering over the stopper of the bottle. _What am I doing? _Minerva growled angrily storming out of her office, leaving the bottle behind her. Her mind replayed the critical moment where her relationship with the one student she truly trusted in her teaching career could have been destroyed.

"_Miss Granger? What on earth are you doing out of bed?"_

"_Please forgive the late intrusion professor, but I'm afraid this couldn't wait. "_

"_What is it? Are you hurt?"_

"_In a manner of speaking, yes—"_

"_Oh gods, we have to find poppy!"_

"_Minerva! Please, let me explain. I don't know how to explain this so I shall just say it. I love you. I have from the moment I walked into the great hall seven years ago. At the start, I hoped, prayed that it was a simple crush that would fade over time, but if anything, my feelings for you have deepened. I love you Minerva, and I know you feel the same way."_

"_M-Miss Granger have you any idea how old I am?"_

"_52 years, 9 months, 7 days."_

"_Yes, and you are 18. You're still young; you're just confused about your feelings."_

"_NO! I have wrestled with my feelings for you for seven years. I love you Minerva McGonagall."_

"_I think you should leave. Now. I am your professor, and nothing more."_

Minerva stopped abruptly, had she really said that? She shakily drew in a breath, leaning against the wall as the tears flooded her emerald eyes. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Her feelings for Hermione had developed over the years and she was unable to deny that she was in love with Hermione Granger. Admitting her feelings for the head girl was difficult, but telling her that she had no romantic feelings for her was almost impossible. But she knew she had to do it. It was improper of her to pursue a relationship with a student no matter how badly she wanted it.

"You should go after her you know." Minerva turned slowly, her mouth hanging open in shock and fear. Bellatrix Lestrange stepped out of the shadows; a mad grin spread across her war torn features. On instinct, Minerva reached into her robes, frowning when she remembered that her wand was lying next to the bottle of fire whisky.

"You won't need that my dear Minerva." Bellatrix taunted stepping closer to the professor who had taught her many years ago.

"What do you want Bellatrix? Surely you know that the others are on their way?"

"Ahh yes, but there is a little flaw in your plan my darling. You see; I'm not actually here. "Bellatrix laughed loudly, her voice echoing off the walls. Minerva shuddered at the sound, her body already pumping with adrenaline. Bellatrix studied the professor closely, before grinning, the sight making the hair on Minerva's neck stand on end.

"You haven't aged a bit my dear Minerva. I can't blame Granger for falling in love with you. If I were you, I would go after her, just to make sure she was...safe." Bellatrix smirked as the realization struck Minerva like a speeding bullet.

"If you hurt her –"

"Oh so you do care for the mudblood!"

"Don't call her that!" Minerva growled angrily. Bellatrix walked slowly behind Minerva, her lips hovering slightly above Minerva's right ear. The close proximity was enough to make Minerva shudder softly.

"I must admit I'm impressed. But don't you think it was a bit foolish to destroy her trust in you? I don't think it was wise of you to allow her out of your sight."

"If you even think of harming Hermione you son of a –"

"I think you've harmed her enough for both of us."

"MINERVA!" Albus Dumbledore shouted, his wand drawn out. The other professors, upon seeing Bellatrix drew their own wands in shock.

"Oh don't worry; your dear transfiguration professor is quite well. But I wouldn't say the same for your mudblood friend." Bellatrix cackled before being engulfed by flames. Minerva rushed backwards, shielding her eyes from the intense light.

"Minerva? What was she talking about?" Poppy asked, her voice shaking slightly. Minerva shook her head, in confusion. She knew very well what that _witch _of a woman was talking about, but she would be damned if her fellow professors found out. No, she would have to speak to Albus about this. She looked up at Albus, who immediately ushered the professors to secure the castle, leaving the two old friends alone to deal with the issues that had arisen in a single hour.

"Well?"

"Well what Albus?"

"Are you going to go after Hermione or not?"

-/-

Hermione groaned loudly, her fingers slowly working out the kinks in her neck that had developed from sleeping on the sofa. She stood up and decided that she wasn't going to sit around and wait for Minerva to realize her feelings. No, she was going to bed. Climbing the stone stairs to the girl's dormitories, Hermione realized how much she missed the sound of teen gossip, and pillow fights. She walked over to her bed, pulling out a pair of light blue shorts and a tank top to match. She slipped her clothes on and climbed under the crisp white sheets, but not before brushing her hair back into a loose ponytail.

She was just about to drift off to sleep when she heard a knock on the door. She was quite content to ignore it completely, hoping that whoever it was would come back in the morning, after all she was hardly in the mood to discuss anything with anyone tonight. Unfortunately the person on the other side of the door refused to give in.

"Miss Granger?"

Hermione slipped on her dressing gown and slowly walked to the door. She opened it and smiled softly into the face of Albus Dumbledore.

"Professor? Is everything alright?"

"May I come in dear?" Hermione stood aside, closing the door as Albus sat on one of the emptied beds. She frowned at the worried expression on his face, and she could only conclude that something was wrong.

"Hermione, are you alright?"

"Me sir? Umm I'm fine I suppose. Why do you ask?"

Albus at this point stood and walked towards the window, beckoning Hermione to follow. Together they watched the rain beat against the window.

"Earlier this evening, Professor McGonagall was confronted by Bellatrix Lestrange. And the main topic of conversation was you."

Hermione gasped, turning away from the calming sight of the rain.

"Is she ok?" She was suddenly hit by a wave of panic. If Bellatrix had harmed her in any way, someone would have to petrify her to stop her from killing the bitch. Sensing the emotional turmoil the young witch was experiencing Dumbledore placed a soothing hand on her shoulder.

"Minerva is fine; it's you I am more worried about."

"Me headmaster?" Hermione walked over to her bed, and sat on the edge, waiting patiently for the headmaster to elaborate on his statement.

"Yes my dear. You see, Minerva does care for you. Deeply. The only thing stopping her from telling you herself is her own irrational fear."

"With all due respect sir, she doesn't care about me. She told me herself."

"You know she cares for you –"

"Then why didn't she come up here and make sure I was alright?" Hermione couldn't hide the quiver in her voice as she battled with her emotions. She knew it was selfish to presume that the women she loved would forget about their discussion and rush up here just to make sure she was ok. Albus nodded his head and waited for her to calm down before answering her question.

"The same reason she hasn't told you her true feelings – she's afraid."

Albus had left Hermione a few minutes later, allowing her to think over his words. He walked slowly down the corridor, nodding at the various portraits. The excitement had long since died down, allowing a sense of security to surround the occupants of Hogwarts.

"How was she?" Minerva asked, slipping out of the shadows, her eyes slightly red and puffy.

"She's fine given the circumstances." Albus muttered, walking past her. He hadn't meant to be so harsh, but he could no longer sit back and watch Minerva ruin the last chance of happiness she would get, and if that meant damaging the relationship he had with the deputy headmistress, then it was a small price to pay. Minerva gaped at the retreating form of her friend, a wave of guilt washing over her...again. An internal war raged inside of her, should she follow Albus and demand he tell her what he meant by that last remark, go to bed and hope that tomorrow would be better...or find Hermione.

-/-

The sun rose slowly, sending streams of golden rays throughout the valley surrounding Hogwarts. Despite the warmth created by the sunbeams casting shadows on the walls, Hermione pulled her coat tighter around her as she continued her walk around the grounds. Usually, Hermione would head straight for the great hall, but today was different. She had decided late last night, to avoid Minerva for a few days; god knew they both needed time apart.

-/-

"Have any of you seen Hermione?" Poppy asked as she helped herself to a piece of toast. The professors remaining in Hogwarts were gathered around a large circular table replacing the four narrow tables that usually occupied the room. Rolanda shook her head quickly, as she continued to shovel spoonfuls of scrambled eggs into her mouth. Professor Snape watched in disgust before turning back to his own meal which he ate with a lot less gusto.

"No I haven't. She's probably in the library – "

"Which was completely destroyed Severus!" Madam Pince muttered, her eyes clouding over at the mention of her precious sanctuary which was cruelly ripped from her.

"I do believe I saw her by the black lake." Pomona chimed in pushing her plate away from her. The table was plunged into silence. No one had discussed the events that had taken place a few weeks ago at the black lake. The large wooden doors at the end of the hall were flung open as Minerva walked briskly towards the table. Her black hair was tied into a loose ponytail, showing off the pale skin of her neck. She smiled gratefully as Albus poured her a cup of tea without sugar, which was something he refused to understand. Minerva looked around the table, instantly noticing the lack of a certain bushy haired student.

"Where is Miss Granger?" The use of her last name sent a shiver of unease to flood the table. Everyone knew how close those two had become, and to hear the icy tone muttered was enough to stop Severus from saying what everyone presumed was a sarcastic comment.

"She's by the black lake Minerva." Albus said, matter-of-factly. Minerva nodded her head slowly, before grabbing a slice of buttered toast and walking out the door.

-/-

Hermione walked towards the black lake, the cold winter wind whipping around her harshly. She sat on the sand, clutching her robes closer to her as the water worked its way towards her. She was so lost in thought she failed to notice the sound of someone apparating behind her.

"Enjoying the view mudblood?"

_DUN DUN DUNNNNN Please review...go on...press the button!_

Chapter two


	2. remorse

Chapter two

_BOOO! I'm back people with another chapter. I want to thank all of you who have left a review, I've found them very helpful and they make me smile __ I only hope that this chapter will love up to the previous one. Oh and I don't own Harry potter, if I did guess who would be together! _

_Thank you all _

Remorse

"_Enjoying the view mudblood?"_

Hermione whipped around to face Bellatrix Lustrange, her eyes widening considerably. Bellatrix cackled loudly, her fingers lightly gripping her wand as she moved forward. Hermione shuddered, gripping her own wand tightly.

"Not very wise to be on your own is mudblood? Your _dear _Minerva made that mistake already." Hermione struggled to control her breathing.

"You bastard. _Expellia –_

"_Crucio!"_

A jet of red energy flew towards Hermione, knocking her backwards onto the hard rock's with a sharp cry of pain ripping from her throat. Hermione groaned in pain and frustration when she realized that her wand had been knocked out of her hand leaving her completely defenceless and at the mercy of the death eater hovering over her. The seconds dragged on, turning into minuets consisting of angry stares and the occasional grin from Bellatrix, showing how much she enjoyed watching Hermione struggle with her emotions.

"What are you waiting for?" Hermione shouted, angry at herself for letting this happen. If she had kept her guard up instead of allowing her mind to return to the keeper of her heart then she would not be waiting for a rescuer to step forward.

"You to start begging for your life." The death eater cackled, her grin widening as Hermione spat on the ground in outrage.

"I don't beg, especially to _you."_

"You have guts...a trait that you will need in the future." Bellatrix muttered, lowering her wand and offering her hand to the very surprised student. She stared at it hesitantly before shyly accepting it. Her skin was warm, surprising Hermione who always believed that death eaters had no heart, therefore no blood supply to warm the body. She was pulled to her feet, both oblivious to the approaching transfigurations teacher who had yet to spot them as she exited the castle.

Bellatrix picked up Hermione's wand and handed it to her.

"She doesn't deserve your loyalty; if anything she deserves your revenge." Hermione flinched at the whispered tone as Bellatrix slowly moved closer.

"And I suppose you deserve my loyalty?" Hermione knew better than to aggravate her, but quite frankly she was done being the studious girl she had a reputation for. Bellatrix snapped, and unfortunately, at the precise time Minerva appeared behind a few trees only a few metres away, she released a sharp backhanded with enough force to knock Hermione to the ground. Blood poured down her cheek from where Lestrange's ring had cut her skin.

Minerva gasped as she watched Hermione be struck down by the bitch who had confronted her a few hours ago. She was about to step forward when Bellatrix whirled round, her wand drawn out.

"_Immobulus" _She muttered. Instantly, a jet of red struck Minerva, forcing her to remain completely still. Hermione hadn't noticed she was too busy trying to get back to her feet. She gripped her wand, as Bellatrix turned slowly towards her with the same grin gracing her features.

"It never ceases to amaze me, how the human heart can be broken so many times, yet love so easily. What did she say? 'You're just a student?" Bellatrix cackled loudly as pain flashed across Hermione's features as she was forced to remember what her love had said to her.

"Why do you care?" Hermione whispered still unaware that Minerva was watching. She struggle to break free from the effects of the curse, mentally wrestling with her own fear,

"Who says I care? You see, you admitting that you love for her have given me the perfect opportunity to extract my revenge. A few years ago, she killed someone I cared for deeply. It ruined my life, so it's only fair that I do the same."

Hermione couldn't believe it. Minerva had _killed someone? _

"You're lying. Besides killing me won't ruin Minerva's life." Hermione muttered, tears in her eyes as she realized that her attempts to convince Bellatrix to spare her life were probably true now.

Minerva felt her own tears flow down her cheeks. How could she say that? Hermione meant the world to her, nothing would change that, but she could certainly see why her young love felt that way. After all she had behaved horribly. Then it suddenly struck her. Hermione could die if she didn't do something. Minerva racked her brain frantically trying to find the counter curse in time to save Hermione and tell her how badly she needed her in her life.

'_God damn it think Minerva!' _She mentally scolded herself, trying to stay calm long enough to concentrate. Of course how could she concentrate when the love of her life was about to die? She watched helplessly as Bellatrix raised her wand, the words of the killing curse on her lips.

"_Avada ke-"_

"_NO!" _Bellatrix turned in horror and amusement as her curse began to wear off leaving a very pissed and terrified professor in its wake. Hermione too stared in shock at Minerva. She had never looked so ...scared. Was she worried for her? No, of course not, she was probably just dreading about telling Harry and Ron. Hermione was able to edge herself away from Bellatrix, who thankfully was too busy taunting Minerva.

"Minerva! So good of you to join us." She laughed, as Minerva slowly stepped forward, her normally calm, emerald eyes filled with hate and anger.

"Let. Her. Go." She whispered harshly, her wand pointing directly at Bellatrix's chest. Bellatrix smirked raising her hands playfully, before pointing her wand towards where she presumed Hermione was.

"Why would I do that my dear?" Hermione froze as Bellatrix once again turned to her, her wand raised. She watched Minerva closely, hoping that there would be a single sign that she cared for her, and if there wasn't then she prayed for a swift end. She closed her eyes, willing her mind to let go of the pain and fear and return to a time when she felt nothing but happiness. Her memory consisted of hours spent discussing Transfigurations, laughing over small events and occasionally sobbing over things that seemed so unimportant know.

"She has done nothing to you!"

"But she will. What's the muggle saying? Kill two birds with one stone? The dark lord wants Potter's rebellion crushed, and everyone knows that the mudblood is the brain behind it. " Realization struck Hermione like a lightning bolt; she was only saving her for Harry's sake. She didn't care about her; she only cared about the order.

Minerva raised her wand, finally able to control herself long enough to realize that she should have killed her the moment she threatened Hermione.

"Reducto!" She shouted angrily. Hermione scrambled to her feet and jumped out of the way as Bellatrix stumbled from the blast. She grinned slightly before vanishing in a green flash. Hermione stayed still, waiting for Minerva to make the first move. Minerva slowly walked forward, her emerald eyes now filled with fear and concern. She raised a shaking hand to gently cup Hermione's cheek turning her head slowly to examine the gash.

"It's not that bad." Hermione muttered stepping backwards violently as if the mere touch of her love burned her. Minerva however refused to allow Hermione to shy away from what happened.

"None the less, I would feel better if I had a look."

"I'm fine, really." Hermione was suddenly overcome by an urge to run. To run away from the women in front of her and never look back. How could she rip out her heart one minute then show such care towards her the next? It didn't make sense.

"You were alone with one of the most ruthless death eaters in this world, so forgive me for not believing you." She snapped, regretting it instantly once she saw the hurt in Hermione's eyes.

"Then I will go see Madame Pomfrey if it will make you believe me." Hermione stated, keeping her eyes on the ground as she weaved around her teacher, refusing to show how much Minerva's tone had affected her. Minerva watched her go, knowing that she deserved the women's rage, but it still hurt.

-/-

Hermione walked into the medical wing, grateful that she appeared to be alone for the moment. She was pretty sure that Minerva...no_ Professor McGonagall_ would have alerted Poppy by now of what had happened, and sure enough no sooner had she sat down on the edge of one of the beds in a corner of the ward, the doors were flung open as Madame Pomfrey, Professors Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall charged towards her.

'_Oh Crap!'_

"Miss Granger what happened?"

"Was it really Bellatrix Lustrange?"

"Can't you see the girls exhausted? Now all of you, OUT! You can ask questions later, after I have given her the all clear. Not so fast Minerva, I want to make sure you're alright as well, please take a seat next to Hermione?"

Albus smiled softly, hopefully this would make Minerva realize that life was too short to let love slip by.

"Poppy I'm fine."

"None the less, I would feel better if I had a look." Poppy glared at Minerva who immediately sat next to Hermione who was smiling slightly at Poppy's words. Poppy smirked successfully before waving her wand over Hermione.

"Hmmm..."

"What do you mean 'Hmmm'?" Minerva asked watching Hermione closely, who refused to make eye contact with either women.

"Apart from a nasty cut, low blood pressure and elevated adrenaline levels she's perfectly fine. Now Minerva, your turn."

Poppy repeated her wand movement over Minerva. Hermione although she still hadn't looked directly at Minerva hoped that she was alright.

"Well your fine Minerva, but that doesn't mean you can act in such a reckless manner again. Now Hermione hold still whilst I apply some stitches." Poppy quickly and expertly cleaned the wound without inflicting that much pain. Minerva resisted the urge to hold Hermione every time she winced but doing so would probably ruin the already complicated and damaged friendship they had, so she was content to wait.

-/-

Luckily for Hermione, Poppy had agreed to allow her to leave as long as she got some rest and a decent meal. She hoped off the bed, refusing to wait for Minerva.

"What did that woman say to her?" Poppy asked as she and Minerva watched Hermione walk towards Gryffindor tower.

"I'm not sure. But I'm going to find out." She stalked out of the medical wing, determined to fix this. Luckily, Hermione had been walking slowly meaning Minerva had caught up with her before she even reached the common room.

"Miss Granger...Hermione please." It was the desperation that made Hermione stop. Minerva jogged towards her.

"Thank you. Hermione we need to talk about what happened...at the lake." Minerva scolded herself for pausing at the worst moment. There was nothing she would rather do than grab Hermione and kiss her senseless, but she knew that she would have to convince Hermione of her feelings before that could happen.

"I'm fine Professor, even Madame Pomfrey agreed with me."

"I don't doubt that Hermione, however I'm more worried about what happened before I arrived. " Hermione stepped through the portrait, closely followed by Minerva. Hermione sat in one of the armchairs around the fire, not at all surprised when Minerva sat next to her.

"Hermione, why were you even by the lake? I mean surely, it was stupid of you to go on your own." Hermione shuddered visibly; of course Minerva had no idea that Bellatrix had said those words to her. She drew her knees up to her chest and gazed into the fire, hoping, willing this conversation to end.

"Hermione? What is it?" Minerva, against her better judgement placed a hand on Hermione's arm.

"It's just...Bellatrix told me the same thing. That I was foolish to be alone." Hermione whispered, her eyes never leaving the fire. Minerva could have slapped herself for her lack of tact; surely she could have waited before disciplining the girl?

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. Hermione, what did she say to you?"

"It doesn't matter, she's gone now."

"Hermione, please. I'm not leaving until you tell me what happened." Part of Minerva hoped that she wouldn't tell her so she could have an excuse to stay with Hermione. However Hermione had other ideas.

"Professor, please." Hermione pleaded finally meeting Minerva's eyes. What the older witch was a woman in complete emotional turmoil and she could not blame her.

"I don't want you on your own tonight Hermione. Somehow Lestrange has found a way to get into the castle undetected. I would feel a lot better if you stayed with me tonight."

"I wouldn't want to impose Professor."

"You wouldn't."

"Ok."


	3. closure

_Hi guys here's the next chapter _

-/-

Chapter three

Closure

"_I would feel a lot better if you stayed with me tonight."_

"_I wouldn't want to impose Professor."_

"_You wouldn't."_

"_Ok." _

It was not ok. Far from it in Hermione's opinion. She had agreed to spend the night in her love's chambers, alone.

_What the hell were you thinking? _

Hermione followed Minerva towards the great hall half – heartedly. She wasn't hungry; how could she be after what had happened, but she knew that missing lunch would result in her being confined to the medical wing. Thinking about it in more depth she found herself considering the possibility, it would give her a good excuse to avoid spending time with Minerva. Just as she was about to run behind a pillar she realized that she was already in the great hall.

_Damn._

Lunch had been a solemn affair. The conversation had remained fixed on the one thing both Hermione and Minerva wanted to forget. Of course it didn't help that Poppy kept glancing at them both every five seconds. Hermione shook her head and smiled politely as Rolanda tried to place more potatoes on her plate. A loud cough from her right reminded her that she was still being observed. Grudgingly she accepted the mountain of carbohydrates and began to cut them up slowly, hoping that by the time she was forced to consume them, lunch would be over.

"Well, I for one want to know how _she _got into the grounds without anyone knowing." Pomona stated abruptly. A soft murmur of agreement echoed through the hall, but for Minerva, the topic of discussion was becoming unbearable. Honestly, didn't her colleagues have anything better to discuss? But then again, this sort of thing didn't happen often.

"Perhaps, someone on the inside helped. After all, it's happened before." Snape sneered, glaring at Hermione who knew he was referring to Remus 'allegedly' helping Sirius Black into the castle in her third year. Minerva was unable to contain her anger, but instead of making a scene which would lead to more arguments, she settled for delivering a swift kick to the potion masters shin. He winced visibly but no one really paid him any attention. The atmosphere had thickened considerably since his outburst.

"Oh please, who would do that? What would anyone gain?" Poppy muttered patting Hermione's hand sympathetically. Minerva looked down at her folded hands as the first ripple of jealousy washed over her. She couldn't help but feel slightly unnerved by the way poppy was showing her affection towards Hermione in public. Berating herself, she forced her attention to remain fixed on the situation at hand.

The rest of the meal was filled with wild accusations made by the most paranoid members of staff, whilst the more sane professors, tried to keep the peace. Hermione was hesitant to offer any remark on the subject despite the reassuring glances from Poppy, Minerva and Rolanda. The professors gradually made their way back to their classrooms and chambers until only Hermione and Minerva remained.

"Did you get enough to eat Hermione? You look a little pale."

"Yes I did thank you." Hermione muttered, her right hand subconsciously reaching up to her cheek.

Not satisfied at all with her answer, but well aware that she was not going to get a better response until they had spoke, Minerva resided to wait until tonight. She blushed slightly, tonight she would tell her. Hermione stepped forward, her face flushed with concern.

"Prof – Minerva, are you alright?"

"I'm fine Hermione, just relieved lunch is over. " She bluffed, relieved that Hermione seemed to buy her excuse. Hermione nodded unsurely, she could tell that Minerva was lying about something, but she wasn't sure if she should push the subject further. Instead the young witch moved towards one of the many windows that decorated the great hall. It was beginning to rain and Hermione couldn't help but sigh as the water pounded against the window. She traced a droplet with her finger gently as she watched Minerva's reflection closely under the pretence that she was enjoying the view.

"Do you think the rain will keep up?"

Minerva shook her head, banishing all thoughts in order to focus her attentions on the question.

"Maybe, why?"

"Um I was hoping to take a walk around the lake, just to clear my head." Hermione instantly regretted opening her mouth. Minerva grabbed Hermione's shoulders and less than gently spun her around until their feet were touching.

"What? Why would you want to do that? I would have thought that after the events of this morning..." Minerva trailed off, her mind still in shock.

"I don't want to live in fear Minerva." Hermione managed to suppress a smirk when Minerva understood her double meaning statement. Minerva blinked slowly as she licked her lips. Hermione felt herself quiver in excitement and fear as she allowed herself to become lost in the emerald orbs that had haunted her dreams for as long as she could remember.

"Neither do I." Minerva felt herself move forwards slightly, the gap between them decreasing with every second. A loud thunderclap made them both spring apart, a deep scarlet blush already forming on their cheeks. It was only now that Minerva realised how close she had been to giving into her emotions. She managed to swallow a slight moan, but only just. Even being in such close proximity with the young women was playing havoc with her senses. She smiled sheepishly at her protégé, who seemed to be struggling with her own emotions.

"The rain seems to be getting worse, perhaps we should retire early?" Minerva did nothing to hide the hope evident in her voice. Hermione nodded, looking slightly dazed. Was that real? Was she really going to kiss her? She followed wordlessly as they walked towards the deputy headmistresses chambers.

-/-

The first thing Hermione noticed when she stepped into Minerva's chambers was how everything seemed to complement either Minerva's looks or character. The walls were of course covered in red and golden decor, as well as the occasional photograph. Minerva watched Hermione as she waited on the fresh hold, looking in awe at the room.

"Would you like some tea Hermione?" She asked, walking towards a small table in front of the fireplace. Hermione nodded as she placed her bag on the floor.

"Thank you ...Minerva." Hermione was slowly becoming accustomed to saying Minerva's first name and she was only slightly surprised at how well the name sounded as it rolled off her lips. She wasn't the only person who noticed this – Minerva was secretly overjoyed that Hermione was able to start trusting her again, but something had been bothering her, and she was determined to get some answers.

"Hermione, we need to talk about what happened today."

Hermione sighed before sipping her scolding tea carefully. She knew that she would have to explain her comments to Minerva but she thought Minerva would at least give her time to understand what had happened. She remained silent, if Minerva wanted to talk, she would have to take the lead.

"I need to know...what she said to you before I arrived." She was pushing it and they both knew it. But Minerva couldn't stand the thought of not knowing what had happened. But then again, she knew she would probably feel worse if she did know purely because she wasn't there to stop it.

"Professor, please –"

"—Hermione, just tell me." She was beginning to lose patience. The fact that Hermione was so reluctant to tell her anything, lead her to believe that that bitch had done something to harm her. Both however, refused to back down. Hermione watched as Minerva stood up suddenly, walking towards the fire where she spent a few minutes warming her hands in deep concentration.

"She told me that you didn't deserve my loyalty, that you only deserved my revenge." Minerva slowly turned to face Hermione who was suddenly very interested in her shoes. Minerva leaned heavily against the wall as she observed her quietly. Secretly, she was forced to admit that what Bellatrix had told Hermione contained a merit of truth. After the way she had behaved towards her, she had concluded that Hermione would most likely refuse to disclose anything so personal to her again. She decided in that moment to throw caution to the wind, after all if she was to salvage their relationship, she had to let go of her fears and take a few risks. Without so much as a second thought, she strolled confidently towards her before pulling Hermione into her arms. Hermione – although slightly shocked by the embrace – relaxed quickly, breathing in the sweet ginger scent of her professor. Minerva was overjoyed to be able to hold the women in her arms, even if it was under the pretence of giving comfort to a student. They both pulled away a lot sooner than they would have preferred.

For the next few hours, the two were able to push all thoughts about the attack to the back of their minds although Minerva found herself unable to leave Hermione alone for too long for fear that something unexpected could happen. She knew she was behaving irrational, after all, the castle was fully protected with numerous charms and incantations protecting the walls as well as the other professors dotted around the castle, yet she couldn't shake the thought that something would happen. Hermione placed her cup on the table before tucking her feet under her. Minerva sat beside her, copying her movements until the two of them were completely relaxed. They sat in silence, watching the light from the fire dance on the walls and listening to the crackle of the wood burning.

"Did she hurt you? The other day I mean." Hermione asked suddenly, startling them both. Minerva leaned back and placed her hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"No, not really."

"I'm glad."

-/-

The rest of the evening past slowly for both of them. The moment it was deemed acceptable, Hermione gracefully left to prepare for bed, grateful for the chance to escape. She knew that she would have to return to the living room as it was far too early to go to sleep, and it would certainly be awkward if she remained locked in the room for the remainder of the night. She quickly pulled on her night clothes – a pair of light blue shorts and a matching t shirt – and walked towards the door. She refused to hesitate as she walked confidently into the room. She hid a triumphant smirk as she entered the room and took a seat next to the astounded professor, whose mouth hung wide open.

Minerva sighed softy as she watched Hermione flee to the bedroom, presumably to get dressed. Leaning back against the sofa, she closed her eyes, breathing deeply in a futile attempt to calm her beating heart. Just being near the young women was enough to throw her heart and mind into turmoil. She raised her eyes to the now open door and did the only sensible thing a person could do when stunning women walked in... She stared.

_My god where has she been hiding that body?_

Hermione walked towards her and it took all of Minerva's self control not to pull her towards her and ravish her in kisses. She swallowed loudly, hoping that her hands would stop shaking as Hermione leaned forward to place her watch on the table, whilst also allowing Minerva to observe her body in more detail.

Minerva grabbed her cup of tea, and swallowed the contents in an attempt to wet her suddenly dry mouth. Hermione leaned back and having noticed the state her beloved was in, decided to see how far she could push her luck. She suddenly flicked her long wavy chestnut brown hair over her left shoulder, allowing Minerva to stare mouth wateringly at the pale exposed flesh. She was able to hold in a purr of delight, but only just. Hermione grinned inwardly at the reaction. Just as she was about to attempt something so daring that would prove she was a true Gryffindor, a soft rapping emanated from the door.

"Come in!" Minerva gasped as she stood up slowly.

"_I swear to god if that's poppy –"_

"Hello dears, I just wanted to check up on our Hermione." Poppy walked briskly towards the brunette who had managed to cover herself in a blanket in an attempt to avoid any questioning about her attire. Hermione smiled politely at the medi witch although on the inside she was silently seething. She bit back a string of curses when Poppy handed her another vile looking potion.

"Poppy I assure you Hermione is fine!" Minerva growled, her hands balled into fists as she walked towards them.

"It appears so - oh my! Minerva are YOU alright?"

"I'm fine; I just think that Hermione and I will benefit from a good night's sleep." Hermione nodded slowly after gulping down the potion. Poppy and Minerva turned towards Hermione when she suddenly started coughing and spluttering. Minerva wrapped her arms around her, light tapping her back and whispering soothing words into her ear. Poppy smiled before slowly backing away from the pair, confident that they would both be fine.

-/-

Morning came a lot sooner than usual in Minerva's opinion. After Poppy's unexpected visit, which Hermione claimed was a 'conspiracy' the pair had retired to their beds, both suddenly feeling considerably better. However, sleep had eluded both of them and it wasn't until about 1:00 AM that Minerva feel asleep. Luckily for Hermione, the potion that she was forced to consume was actually a dreamless sleep potion, something that Minerva wished she had gotten as well. Her night had been plagued by nightmares, each one more terrifying than the last. She lost count of how many times she had awoken in the night, covered in sweat. She hoped that Hermione wasn't aware of how many times she had slipped into her room unnoticed, just to watch her sleep.

She strolled into the living room and was about to wait patiently for Hermione when her door was thrown open with extreme force. Albus rushed forwards and Minerva knew instantly that something was amiss.

"We have a problem."

_A/N – I'm so sorry for the wait everyone, but please review and stay with me on this! Just a heads up, there may be a bit more angst in the next chapter as me and my boyfriend broke up. I promise to upload soon!_


	4. Admittance

Chapter four

Admittance.

"_We have a problem."_

The next few hours passed in a daze for Minerva. After Albus had practically dragged her out the door, she was forced to attend an emergency meeting at the ministry of magic to discuss the threat that had sparked a lot of interest. The problem that Albus had spoken of was that the minister had found out, meaning that now it would be virtually impossible to proceed without the ministry interfering in some way. Minerva was unable to sit sill during the meeting as her thoughts were fixed on a certain bushy haired individual. She knew that Poppy would look out for Hermione in her absence but she couldn't suppress her jealousy at the thought of her love being alone with the medi witch. Initially, she had been able to suppress her feeling of rage, jealousy and uncertainty, but as the meeting progressed into the afternoon, Minerva couldn't help but become extremely agitated by the lack of progress. As her colleagues argued around her, she couldn't stop her thoughts wondering to the events of the last night.

_Minerva walked towards the door of her room where her precious Hermione was residing for the night. Walking slowly and quietly towards her room, Minerva found herself unable to prevent her hands from shaking as she grasped the copper door handle tightly. She gritted her teeth and turned the handle slowly, slipping inside the darkened room quickly so as not to awake Hermione. She pressed herself against the door, breathing deeply. Once her nerves had been sufficiently repressed she walked briskly towards the window, closing it softly as the wind fluttered the curtains. She turned slowly and blushed at the sight in front of her. Hermione, in her sleep had somehow managed to throw the covers onto the floor, leaving only a thin sheet covering her body. _

"_Oh Merlin"_

_The moonlight streaming through the curtains fell on Hermione's sleeping face and for one heart stopping moment, Minerva thought Hermione was going to wake up. Deciding that it would be less awkward for both of them, she tried to go about her normal routine. Minerva edged towards her side of the bed and after rearranging the pillows closed her eyes, only for them to fly open again when Hermione turned over and snaked her arm around Minerva's hips, pulling her body close to hers. Sufficed to say, it took a long time for Minerva's heart rate to decrease enough to allow her to fall asleep. _

Albus leaned towards his best friend of many years with a strange expression on his face.

"Had fun last night I take it my dear?"

"Shut up Albus." Minerva hissed loudly, startling everyone in the room including herself. She blushed lightly before clearing her throat, relieved when the subject was dropped.

"I don't care how she got into Hogwarts Headmaster! This meeting was called to discuss how we are going to prevent it from happening again! Frankly Albus, I'm beginning to wonder if you are incapable of protecting your own school." The minister snapped. Minerva gripped the edge of the table firmly and waited patiently along with the other occupants of the room to hear Albus' response.

Albus rubbed his chin briefly before standing up slowly. He stared at the minister for a few seconds.

"Minister, I can assure you that we have taken every precaution to ensure that Bellatrix will not be able to enter Hogwarts again. However, I think the real issue that we should be discussing is whether the 'attack' was really personal as she claims or part of a bigger plan."

"If it's personal you can bet that she will in some way return." Someone chimed in. Minerva gritted her teeth. They were right; Bellatrix would be back. And she would be damned if she let her near Hermione again.

"Why would it be personal?" Minerva held her breath as she waited for someone to answer. Albus was about to answer when a sudden outburst to her left caught everyone's attention.

"This is hopeless. How are we supposed to know what her plan is? Were going round in circles and the lack of information isn't exactly helping."

"Well you're not contributing anything of any importance are you?" Minerva muttered angrily under her breath.

"We should have questioned Miss Granger the moment it happ –"

"What and traumatized her further?" Minerva snapped angrily. The room was suddenly covered in a thick blanket of tension as Minerva narrowed her eyes at the minister who looked ready to defend the valid question asked.

"Well how do we know that she was telling the truth?"

"Are you accusing her of lying about this?" Minerva stood up so abruptly, her chair was knocked over but she didn't care. She tried to control her anger but found it was impossible. Those close to her could tell she was visibly shaking with anger.

"N-N-Noo." The minister stammered. "But surely something must have happened that she hasn't told us?" Minerva blinked slowly before storming through the door, ignoring Albus' calls for her to stop and 'listen to reason'. No, she had been putting this off for far too long, it was time that she and Hermione discussed what happened.

-/-

Hermione slammed her book shut for the tenth time in the last hour and stood up before pacing in front of the fire in Minerva's chambers. She had woken up only a few hours ago, alone. When Hermione had found no note explaining Minerva's abrupt departure, Hermione was forced to seek out a professor who might know where she was. Once she had been assured that Minerva was safe, she had opted to continue reading a book in the professor's chambers and wait for her return. But just as she thought she would be able to focus completely on the words, her mind would play tricks on her. Lunch had come and gone and Hermione was beginning to wonder if Minerva was ever going to come back. She absentmindedly flicked through the book, her eyes scanning the pages but not taking in any of the words. Giving up, she placed the book on the floor and walked towards the window. One of the benefits of waking up alone was that she had ample time to evaluate her actions and feelings which of course centred around Minerva.

She supposed it was her fault. Yes, last night had been amazing and she had learnt that Minerva cared for her; after all her reaction was classic but she still couldn't help worry that she was getting in way to deep. If Bellatrix hadn't made herself a threat, then Minerva would never have bothered to look for her by the lake. The bottom line was, Minerva still said what she did. What if all of this was just a reaction to a danger that had gotten way out of hand?

_Stop it, if Minerva felt that way then she would have told you. _The rational side of Hermione knew that this was true, but what was it Minerva had said to her originally? She walked over to the sofa in front of the fire and stared into the dancing flames hoping that its natural beauty would help calm her mind. It didn't. If anything it made her remember more clearly what Minerva had said to her.

"_I think you should leave. Now. I am your professor, and nothing more." _If that wasn't a rejection she didn't know what was. So what had changed? Hermione pulled her knees close to her and sighed deeply. She needed to get out of the room. But where was she meant to go? There was no way that she would be able to avoid everyone and they seemed incapable of accepting that she needed time alone. Besides, where would she go?

The library...destroyed

The black lake...off limits to everyone.

The room of requirement...it seemed no one could enter the come and go room since Hermione had arrived.

An empty classroom seemed like the only place that Hermione could think of disappearing to, but she was reluctant to walk the halls of Hogwarts in her pursuit to find one, yet if she stayed here then the chances of avoiding Minerva until she had made an attempt to banish her demons were second to none. A look of self confidence briefly appeared on her face as she dashed out of the room.

-/-

"Minerva, will you just calm down—"

"Calm down? How can I stay calm when that pathetic excuse for a man accuses her of...of—"

"You need to talk to her Dear." Albus smiled at Minerva. He knew it was difficult for Minerva to control her anger when it came to the minister and his...unusual way to deal with a crisis. But right now there were more important things to deal with, like something that hadn't been mentioned at the meeting.

"Minerva, sit down. "

"I don't like that tone of voice Albus. What is it you're not telling me?" Minerva sank into a chair in front of Albus' desk and waited patiently for him to tell her what she knew wouldn't be good news. He tried to smile reassuringly, but failed miserably, only producing a feeble grimace. Minerva bit her lip nervously and leaned forward to take his hand in hers.

"Minerva, I need to you to stay with Hermione no matter what. Don't let her out of your site."

"Albus what's happened?"

"The order interrogated a death eater they captured a few days ago."

"And?" Minerva made no attempt to hide the fear and desperation in her voice.

"And we believe that the attack was more organised than we originally thought. We don't know what their plan is exactly but we know it centres around Miss Granger. We don't know why, I think only Hermione can shed some light on that."

"Is there anything you **do **know Albus?" Minerva snapped. It was times like this that she really despised the order. Albus had a pretty good idea how terrible this experience was for her, but he knew that when this was all over she would have gained something that he knew she longed for.

"Go find her Minerva." Minerva didn't need to be told twice. She ran as fast as she could down the corridors before transforming into her animagus counterpart and sprinting the rest of the way to her chambers. Bursting through the doors, Minerva transformed, expecting to see Hermione curled up with a good book. What she found was an empty room and by the looks of it, its sole occupant had left a while ago. Minerva quickly searched the other rooms before allowing herself to panic slightly.

_Shit_

Minerva barely registered her feet touching the ground as she searched the castle. Albus' words were ringing in her ear, taunting her with her own fear yet encouraging her to find Hermione. Leaning against one of the many stone pillars, she implored her mind to think. Once she had eliminated the rooms she knew Hermione couldn't or wouldn't enter, she followed her instincts and ran towards the transfigurations classroom.

-/-

She didn't know what made her go to that specific classroom, probably because this was where she had always gone when she felt the pressure getting to her. Hermione sat in her usual seat, the one closest to Minerva's desk. Many chose to believe that it was only natural for Hermione to sit at the front, seeing as she was one of the smartest witches to enter Hogwarts, but the real reason was so that Hermione could be as close to Minerva as possible without arousing any suspicions.

Minerva slipped into the room and silently approached her star pupil.

"Hermione? Are you ok?" Minerva placed a hand on her shoulder, bringing Hermione out of her thoughts and back into the present. She spun around so fast that she would have fallen over if not for Minerva's quick reactions.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome but you still haven't answered my question." Hermione stepped away from Minerva's inquiring eyes but both instantly missed the warmth of the others presence. Minerva reached out and took Hermione's hand, softly stroking her fingers with her thumb. Hermione barely managed to suppress a shudder as Minerva stepped back into her personal space.

"Oh I-I'm fine." Hermione knew Minerva didn't believe her. Minerva raised her eyebrow and tilted her head upwards, staring at Hermione until she cracked.

"Ok, I just needed a place to think. I'm fine professor." Hermione made to move around Minerva and just as she was about to walk out the door, she was pulled backwards. Minerva placed her hands on Hermione's shoulders, holding her at arm's length.

"Now I know something's wrong. Hermione talk to me."

"There's nothing to discuss."

"There are many things we need to discuss Hermione. All I'm asking is that you trust me." Minerva wasn't used to pleading, but lately it had become second nature when it came to Hermione. Something had upset her, and Minerva needed to know what it was. Hermione slowly raised her gaze until her chocolate eyes met Minerva's emerald ones. Minerva moved closer and brushed a stray lock of hair behind Hermione's ear.

"Minerva?"

"Mione." If she wasn't going to listen to her, then she would have to make her understand.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Despite the trepidation in her voice, Hermione found herself compelled to move closer until they were almost touching. Almost. Swallowing her doubts, her fears, Minerva cupped Hermione's cheek, her thumb softly brushing over a pair of lips that were slightly parted whilst at the same time bringing Hermione closer. She leaned forward slowly, giving Hermione enough time to pull away if she wanted. Hermione's gaze dropped to Minerva's lips that were rapidly getting closer to her own. Neither knew who had closed the gaps, but neither cared. Minerva had hoped to keep the kiss light so as not to frighten or push Hermione into something she wasn't ready for, but the young woman in question had other plans. Now that she finally had Minerva in her arms, there was no way she would let her go. She wrapped her arms around Minerva's neck deepening the kiss. Her tongue darted out to trace Minerva's lips slowly, begging for entrance which was happily granted. Minerva alternated between sucking on the woman's tongue and nibbling on her bottom lip; both actions causing Hermione's legs to turn to jelly.

They pulled away when the need for oxygen overpowered the urge to stay locked in their first kiss for the rest of the night. Minerva felt a small grin erupt on her features when she took in Hermione's dishevelled appearance; lips parted and slightly swollen, her chest was heaving considerably, her mocha eyes hidden by her eye lids as she struggled to come back to reality.

"Wow." She muttered as she opened her eyes. Minerva searched her face for any signs of regret but found nothing but love and adoration. Hermione took Minerva's hand and kissed her palm unaware of the effect it was having on Minerva.

"Mione, I'm so sorry."

Hermione closed her eyes to hide the tears that were beginning to well up. _Oh Merlin she can't kiss me like __**that**__ and then tell me it was a mistake ...can she? _Minerva, sensing the distress her love was enduring was quick to correct her mistake.

"Oh Hermione I'm so sorry I said what I did that night in my office."

"It's ok."

"No it's not. I can't believe I hurt you like that. I need you to know that what I said- I didn't mean it. I believed it would be inappropriate for a professor to have a relationship with a student. I was so stupid to believe that." Hermione opened her eyes and smiled softly. She pressed her lips softly against Minerva's, both were secretly thrilled when she did.

"Not stupid. Stubborn." Minerva laughed lightly at Hermione's attempts to lighten the mood.

"What changed your mind?" Hermione was half dreading the answer. What if it was a onetime thing? She knew that she was being irrational but she couldn't help it. Minerva smiled lightly and kissed the end of her nose lightly, earning a light giggle.

"Many things my love."

Hermione's heart leapt and her stomach was suddenly filled with hyper butterflies when she heard Minerva's term of endearment. Minerva suddenly froze. Had she really said 'my love'? She was about to apologize for overstepping her boundaries but that was before she saw the lopsided grin Hermione was wearing. She couldn't help but return the smile before their lips met again. Hermione pulled back a lot sooner than Minerva would have liked, but seeing that the pair had only a few minutes until dinner, decided that it was for the best. -

Hermione and Minerva arrived in the great hall a few minutes after everyone else, which earned a few raised eyebrows. Minerva narrowed her eyes slightly at the empty chair next to poppy before guiding Hermione to the opposite side of the table. It was nothing personal, but she just wasn't comfortable with the way poppy ogled **her **woman. Under the table Minerva felt a light pressure on her fingers, and squeezed Hermione's hand back in a loving gesture.

"So Minerva, I hear you caused quite a commotion at the ministry." Pomona said, much to the delight of some and to the horror of others, mainly Hermione who had let go of Minerva's hand in shock.

"Oh yes Minerva, what happened? Don't leave us in suspense dear." Poppy called out before placing a piece of carrot into her mouth. Hermione, although slightly annoyed at Poppy's use of 'dear' when addressing her love, waited along with the rest of the room for Minerva to give her side of the events – no doubt Albus had told the staff what the ministers reaction had been.

"Nothing happened, just a disagreement of sorts." Minerva waved off the accusations, determined to resume her meal in peace. Accepting that Minerva wasn't going to spill any details the conversation drifted towards other topics, for instance Rolanda's recent attempts to set Severus up with one of her Quidditch friends much to the amusement of Hermione, (who was looking forward to letting Fred and George know what she had learnt.) The rest of the evening was a success in terms of avoiding what happened at the ministry, but they both knew that it would come up eventually.

Minerva found her mouth watering when the pudding arrived. She didn't know whether it was because the pudding itself looked heavenly, or whether it was Hermione eating it, which was also a divine sight. The woman in question couldn't help but blush under Minerva's gaze which she was careful to disguise so the others wouldn't suspect anything. Truth be told, Hermione quite liked Minerva staring at her at every opportunity, the thought alone caused a light pink to cover her cheeks. The rest of the meal passed quickly for both of the witches who were both eager to return to their rooms, where it was private. With any luck, Poppy would stay away from them for one night. The pair practically ran out of the great hall much to the delight of a certain headmaster.

-/-

Hermione and Minerva burst through the portrait leading to Minerva's quarters, both collapsing onto the sofa completely out of breath from all the running. The laughter didn't subside for a good few minutes but neither minded. Hermione grinned up at Minerva as she found herself being cradled by the women she loved.

"So?"

"...So what my love?"

"What happened at the ministry?" The smile vanished from Minerva's face only to be replaced by a slightly worried expression. She didn't want to upset her, but she knew that Hermione would be more upset if she didn't tell her.

"Nothing happened really. They accused you of lying so I stormed out." The temperature in the room seemed to plummet as Minerva's words sunk in. Hermione stared at the floor, barely noticing Minerva as she wrapped her arms around her. She blinked quickly before taking a deep breath.

"She said you didn't deserve my loyalty, that I was foolish to believe that you cared about me. She wanted me to beg for my life." Hermione shuddered at the memory but was determined to get it all out in the open. Minerva gritted her teeth against the urge to murder the bitch, who dared threaten her love but instead, she pulled Hermione closer, rubbing soothing circles along her back.

"I need you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"You will not leave the castle, unless I'm with you, no matter what happens you mustn't leave. Do you understand?" She knew she was behaving irrationally, but Albus' words continued to echo through her mind. There was no way in hell she was going to lose the woman in her arms, and if the only way she could guarantee her safety was by locking her up until Bellatrix had been found, then so be it.

"Alright. I promise." She muttered. She knew better than to push Minerva when it came to sensitive subjects so she forced her curiosity to the back of her mind.

"I love you mione."

"And I love you Minerva"

Minerva continued to murmur words of comfort and love to the young woman until she was sure Hermione had fallen asleep. Hesitantly, she quickly lifted Hermione into her arms and carried her into the bedroom. Within a few minutes both were sound asleep in each other's arms – as it should have been from the beginning.

-/-

Meanwhile a death eater named Bellatrix lustrange paced anxiously in front of a small fire place. She whirled around quickly with a large grin on her face, when she saw that he had arrived with the vital ingredient she needed.

"Any problems?"

"None." He handed her the small vial, containing 3 dark brown hairs which Bellatrix promptly added to the mixture of poly juice potion brewing in the corner. She cackled loudly as she poured the vile looking potion into a cup.

"Pleasant dreams Minerva, it may be the last time you have them."

_A/N _

_Thank you everyone for your kind words :) you make me smile when you press that little button_

_Please review kindly dear people! As always I will try to update again soon. ^_^_


	5. secrets out

Chapter five

Secrets out

"What are you doing?" Minerva muttered as she slowly became aware of her surroundings. It was a bit too early for her liking, but it was impossible for the professor to return back to sleep knowing Hermione was up to something. She sat up slowly, before flinging the covers off her body and moving over to Hermione, who was currently leaning against the wall with an owl perched on the window ledge. She smiled lovingly at Minerva as she wrote something quickly on the envelope before allowing the dark brown owl to fly away with it.

"I was just writing to Harry and Ron." Hermione muttered, watching the owl disappear into the clouds before turning around to embrace Minerva.

"Is something wrong?"

"Oh no, nothing at all. I just haven't heard from either of them in a while." Hermione tried to smile. Truth be told, Ron hadn't exactly been supportive when the boys found out. Harry, although he had been shocked had refused to cut Hermione out of his life. The two kept in regular contact, but Hermione couldn't deny how much she missed Ron's witty remarks.

Minerva wasn't satisfied with that answer, but she wasn't about to push Hermione for the details, after all she didn't want to scare her off. Hermione quickly closed the window, pausing for a moment to gaze at the scenery surrounding the castle. She smiled lightly as a pair of strong arms circled her waist, pulling her closer.

"What are your plans for today?" Minerva muttered as she led Hermione back to the large bed.

"I promised Poppy that I would give her a hand with a few things." Hermione muttered as Minerva's arms tightened around her at the mention of poppy's name. "What about you dear?"

"Another pointless meeting at the ministry." She groaned as she pulled the covers over their bodies. Hermione couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy about being on her own again, but she knew it wasn't Minerva's fault.

"I promise I won't be away from you for too long." Minerva said in response to Hermione's silent statement. Hermione smiled softly before pressing her lips against Minerva's. What was meant to be a brief kiss quickly became a lot more passionate as Minerva's fingers wound themselves through Hermione's chestnut locks, pulling her closer. Hermione in response tugged on Minerva's shoulders until her body was partially covering her own. Her grip on Minerva's shoulders tightened as the women in question began placing soft, teasing kisses along her collarbone, whilst at the same tame, applying enough pressure to her lower body to leave Hermione breathless and begging for me. Although Minerva was more than willing to comply, a small part of her knew that she had to slow down. She couldn't risk scaring Hermione off, although she seemed to be more than ready to take their relationship a step further. She tore her lips from Hermione's heated skins, much to the dismay of the younger woman and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before grinning down at her.

"Why... did you... stop?" Gasped Hermione. Minerva leaned back slightly, taking in Hermione's ruffled hair, slightly swollen, parted lips and heaving chest before answering.

"Because I don't want to rush you, because you must be sure that this is what you want." Hermione smiled brightly. Shaking slightly from anticipation, she reached up and stroked her cheek.

"I've never been more certain in my life. I love you Minerva."

"I love you too."

Hermione's face lit up suddenly. Minerva raised her eyebrow in response, watching as Hermione shook her head quickly.

"I just can't get over saying it."

"I can't get over hearing it!"

Hermione suddenly peered at the clock over Minerva's shoulder.

"Breakfast starts in 15 minutes."

They kissed briefly before Hermione threw back the covers and walked briskly towards the bathroom, taking her clothes with her, much to Minerva's disappointment. She reluctantly followed Hermione's example, taking a few minutes to get her breathing under control before quickly changing into a fresh set of robes.

-/-/-

The moment the two walked into the great hall, they knew something was wrong.

"Good morning" A series of timid voices chorused as the two approached the table. Minerva took her usual seat, watching her fellow professors carefully. She turned towards Albus, who seemed to be more interested in pushing his food around his plate rather than eating it. Hermione silently observed the professors closets to her; Snape was staring into space, Poppy flashed her a brief smile, but she could tell it was forced.

"Is there a problem?" Minerva asked as she helped herself to a cup of tea. Almost immediately, the room was once again filled with voices over lapping each other, but mainly saying the same thing.

"Of course not Minerva, why would there be a problem?" Rolanda quipped, adding a light chuckle to the end of her question in a vain attempt to reassure her friend that everything was fine. Minerva narrowed her eyes at the Quidditch professor as if contemplating using one of her many skills to find out what was going on. Albus cleared his throat loudly, effectively breaking Minerva's concentration.

"Come now Minerva, it's a lovely day! Why would anything be wrong?" He said in an even tone. Minerva sighed in exasperation before returning to her breakfast, occasionally smiling at Hermione when she felt that no one was watching them. Satisfied that the topic had been dropped, the conversation drifted to more personal matters.

"Tell me Miss Granger." Professor Flitwick said, "Have you spoken to Potter and Weasley recently?"

"Yes sir, in fact I received a letter from Harry a few days ago." Minerva, along with everyone else couldn't help but be intrigued; however Minerva was slightly disheartened that Hermione hadn't told her first.

"Oh how is the dear boy?" Pomona chimed in. Hermione smiled politely.

"As well as can be expected, but the Weasley's are keeping him busy."

"And what about Mr Weasley?" Hermione stared at Snape for a few moments before reluctantly answering his question.

"He is well." Hermione said, hoping that her blunt tone would prompt him to drop the subject. Minerva glared at Severus until he began to pester one of the other members of staff. Hermione refused to make eye contact with Minerva for the rest of the meal because she knew that Minerva would be able to tell how upset she was almost instantly, but that didn't mean Minerva wasn't going to figure it out sooner or later.

"Shall we Hermione?" Poppy said, pulling Hermione out of her thoughts. She nodded quickly before rushing after the medi witch, smiling at Minerva as she passed her, who noticed that her smile didn't quite reach her eyes like it had when they had woken up.

"Minerva, you will try and be civil towards the minister wont you?"

"Albus I'm not making any promises. But there's something I need to do first." Just as she was about to turn away, Albus gently placed his hand on her shoulder, turning her around again.

"Is Hermione alright?"Albus asked. Minerva had known Albus for many years, and she could see how worried he was. All the professors knew how close Minerva and Albus were to the 'Golden trio' and the thought that any of them were unhappy deeply upset him.

"I'm not sure." Minerva sighed softly, rubbing her eyes before walking briskly through the door that Poppy and Hermione had walked through a few moments ago. She didn't want to seem over bearing, but if something was bothering Hermione, then she wanted to be able to offer her opinion and maybe help her if she would allow it. She couldn't help but feel protective towards her woman, yet at the same time, she knew how important it was that Hermione be allowed some time to herself. Not bothering to knock, Minerva strolled into the medical wing, smiling lightly as she watched Hermione jumping up and down, trying to reach a potion which was on a high shelf. Drawing out her wand, she muttered '_Wingardium Leviosa' _and handed the potion to Hermione.

"Thank you, I thought you had a meeting with the minister?" Hermione placed the potion which incidentally was a calming draught, on the table before being pulled into Poppy's office. 

"It's been held back a few minutes." She lied. Hermione smiled lightly as Minerva shut the door behind them.

"Is everything alright? You seemed very quiet during breakfast." Hermione bit her lip nervously; she knew there had to be a motive behind Minerva's sudden appearance.

"I'm fine."

"Mione, you know you can tell me anything right?"

"I know, and I will tell you, but Poppy is probably looking for me, so I should go." Minerva closed her eyes; it wasn't like Hermione to shy away from her problems, and she certainly wasn't happy about the idea of her running off to _poppy_.

"Minerva?" She opened her emerald eyes and smiled reassuring at Hermione, who had moved closer and was resting her hand lightly on her shoulder.

"I'm fine, you should go." Minerva grumbled. She was aware that her behaviour was similar to a first years but she couldn't help it. She looked up and was amazed to see Hermione grinning at her. Before she could ask her what was so amusing, she found herself being pushed rather roughly against the door. She only just had time to catch her breath before a pair of full lips descended upon her own. Almost instantly, Minerva slipped her tongue into Hermione's mouth, earning a low moan of contentment. The pair battled for control over the kiss that was quickly becoming more passionate by the second, until Minerva relinquished control as she felt a pair of shaking hands franticly pulling pins out of her hair until the thick locks cascaded around her fingers.

Minerva felt rather than heard Hermione's moan as she wrapped her arms around her back, slipping her hands underneath the fabric of her jumper, both desperate to have her hands on Hermione's heated skin. Hermione broke the kiss, both women gasping for breath before Minerva's parted lips latched on to the pale skin of her neck, biting and licking her way down to Hermione collar bone.

"_Is everything alright in there?" _An aggravated voice yelled from the other side of the door. The pair jumped apart, each struggling to control their breathing whilst adjusting their appearance. Hermione reluctantly flicked her wand, sending the hair pins scattered around the room back to their original place. Minerva quickly kissed her before she angrily unlocked the door as Hermione busied herself by sorting through rolls of parchment, which had fallen on the floor during their 'activities'. Poppy stormed in, her irritation directed mainly at Minerva.

"Do you mind telling me what exactly is going on between you two Minerva?"

Minerva glanced at Hermione who stepped forward until she was close enough to touch her.

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean Miss Granger." Minerva gritted he teeth at Poppy's tone. Hermione prayed that the medi witch hadn't figured it out; she knew how controversial it was for a professor to have a relationship with a student, and if Poppy forced Minerva to come clean, she couldn't help but wonder what Minerva would do, would she deny it? Or would she risk everything just to be with her?

"Poppy, I can assure you—"

Hermione closed her eyes. _Here it comes Mione. _She slowly edged her way towards the door, intent on returning to her bed for the next day or two, only to be pulled back by Minerva quite urgently.

"—that what happens between Hermione and I, is our business and ours alone. Now if you'll excuse me I have a meeting to attend."Minerva smiled lovingly at Hermione, whose mouth had fallen open in shock. Leaning over, she gently closed her mouth for her before storming past the horrified medi witch. Flashing a triumphant smirk at poppy, Hermione walked towards the potions cabinet at the other end of the ward.

About 10 minutes later, poppy decided to break the silence.

"Ahh well then I'm going to get something, I'll be back in a few minutes" She stammered, walking away before Hermione could answer. Hermione laughed quietly to herself as she remembered how shocked the medi-witch had seemed. She raised her fingers to lips, a light blush gracing her delicate features as her eyes rested on Poppy's office where Minerva had proven her love for the young witch. She was so lost in thought she didn't notice the door opening, nor did she notice the faint footsteps, that gradually got louder as the person got closer. Hermione sighed lightly as a pair of hands softly rubbed her shoulders.

"Hello again mudblood."

-/-

OHHHHH I wonder what will happen next :/ I'm really sorry its taken me this long to update, what with college, coursework and general writers block getting in the way. This chapter was really hard to write, so I apologize if its rubbish. I'm gonna try and get the next chapter up soon. thanks for sticking with it


	6. Hymn for the missing

Chapter six

I AM SO SORRY! I can't believe how long it's been since I updated. I have had the worst mental blocks for this fanfic, I literally could not think of what to write. Truly awful experience . I really struggled with this chapter so if it completely sucks then I'm sorry, it has been awhile since I did this.

Hymn for the missing

Hermione gasped lightly as she frantically struggled to break free from the persons grip. Chuckling lightly they allowed Hermione to stumble forward. She whirled round angrily, her wand dropping slightly as she saw who it was.

"M-Malfoy? What the hell is going on?" Hermione clenched her fist tightly as Draco lowered his gaze. He raised his wand suddenly.

"Expelliarmus." He cried, disarming Hermione with a simple wave. She held her breath as Draco slowly turned to her. For the first time she was able to get a decent look at him; his eyes were red and bloodshot, his hair slightly damp with sweat and his arm was shaking dangerously.

"I had to do it. I had no choice. I _had _to do it." He stuttered, his bottom lip quivering violently. Hermione shook her head slowly, dread sweeping over her. It was no secret that his family's allegiance was to the dark lord (and would probably remain that way) only Hermione, along with the rest of the order had hoped that with his death, their loyalty would shift. Obviously not in the Malfoy's case. If anything their loyalty seemed to have doubled and it hadn't surprised Hermione that they had enlisted Draco into their twisted cause.

"Look, I know we've had our problems in the past -"

"Are you really that naive? I don't _want _to hurt you -"

"Then don't. I can help you, we all can Draco." She couldn't believe it. She was begging Malfoy of all people to spare her life and for once he looked like he meant it when he said he didn't want to hurt her. Sighing lightly, she realized that the longer she kept Draco talking, the higher the chances that someone would come and help her.

"No one will come Granger" He snapped as she tried to walk round him. "They're all a bit busy."

"Why? What have you done?" Her voice rose slightly towards the end of the sentence as she took a menacing step forwards. She stopped in shock as Draco flicked his wand, the silencing spells cast around the ward lifting, and Hermione could only stand there and listen to the sounds of curses hitting the walls, shouts of the teachers and the crash of rubble cascading onto the floor before an eerie silence descended.

"Death eaters, wait ...did you let them in?"

"I had too don't you understand?"

"You son of a bitch" Hermione couldn't stop herself; she lunged forward slapping him hard across the face whilst desperately trying to wrestle his wand away from him. The two struggled and tussled for a few moments, resulting in them both falling onto the floor Draco's wand skidding across the floor. They both looked at each other for a split second before each lunged for the wand. The impromptu fight ended abruptly when the doors to the medical wing were flung open.

-/-/-/

Minerva sighed in relief as the meeting came to a gradual close. Surprisingly, the meeting had only lasted a few minutes and for that Minerva was entirely grateful, although she couldn't help but feel that calling the meeting in the first place was a complete waste of time considering they only discussed one person. Hermione. Minerva had made it quite clear at the beginning that she would not sit there and listen to them bad mouth her student, and she smiled fondly as she remembered how the majority of the people there supported her. Just as everyone was preparing to depart, a series of loud bangs echoed through the building, echoing off the stone walls. Before anyone could react, a stream of misty black circled the air, weaving between the pillars that supported the building. Waving her arms in front of her as she stumbled through the smoke, Minerva found herself caught in crossfire between a group of deatheaters and the ministry officials.

Minerva flung herself to the ground as jet of green narrowly missed her shoulder. She faintly heard Albus screaming her name, telling her to move towards him, but a high pitched laugh which she had become accustomed too, caught her attention. Ignoring the slight twinge in her shoulder, caused by falling to the floor moments ago, she stood, hurling a hex towards the swirling black mist, which dissipated in a matter of seconds only to be replaced by a very smug looking Bellatrix Lustrange.

Snarling viciously, Minerva flung herself towards her, her wand whipping in a wide circle sending a stunning spell towards Bellatrix, who easily dodged it, before returning the favor. Albus, who was battling Rosier and Yaxley, watched them duel out of the corner of his eye with batted breath as Minerva and Bellatrix sent curses and hexes towards each other, neither showing signs of breaking. Both women realized this, and both simultaneously lowered their wands, their chests heaving as they struggled to correct their frantic breathing. Bellatrix cackled loudly, walking forwards with a lopsided grin on her face. Minerva found herself frowning in confusion, her wand rising slightly as Bellatrix neared her. The death eater glared at Minerva, her eyes seemed to gaze over every one of Minerva's imperfections, trying to understand what this woman had that she did not. With a quick flick of her wand, Bellatrix managed to disarm Minerva, her wand colliding with the wall behind them.

"ENOUGH!" She yelled; the room going silent. The Deatheaters reluctantly lowered their wands, turning their full attentions to Bellatrix, all secretly eager to see what she had planned for McGonagall.

"Bring her." The doors on the other side of the room opened to reveal a bloody and bruised Hermione being dragged towards them. Minerva made to run to her, but found her path blocked by Bellatrix, who seemed to be glowing with joy at the horror displayed on Minerva's features. Albus managed to take few steps forward, before being struck with a jelly jinxing curse by Yaxley.

"HERMIONE!" Minerva yelled, trying desperately to get to her, but was pushed back by Bellatrix.

"Where do you think you're going my dear Minerva?" Bellatrix asked, a sly grin gracing her features as Minerva franticly wiped her watery eyes. Hermione slowly raised her head, her eyes locking onto Minerva's pain filled emeralds. Minerva struggled to breath as she watched Hermione battle to stay conscious.

"Let her go Bellatrix. She's innocent in this!" Minerva knew she was begging but she didn't care. She didn't even care that she was exposing her relationship with the young witch to the entire ministry. All she cared about was getting Hermione to st. Mungos and getting Bellatrix thrown back into Azkaban.

"She may be innocent Minerva…but you're not."

"Then hurt me! Kill me if you want just please…let her go!"

"No…Don't." Hermione gasped. It took most of Minerva's self control not to look at her, knowing that if she did, her composure would crack and she would be reduced to a blubbering mess. Bellatrix turned to Hermione. She stared at her for a few minutes, as if considering Minerva's offer.

"How does it feel Minerva?" She asked, still watching Hermione. "How does it feel knowing that the person you love is going to die and there is nothing you can do to stop it?"

"Please. Please don't hurt her." Minerva sobbed, her eyes falling onto Hermione's pain filled face. Her breathing was ragged, and her body shook lightly. If it wasn't for the deatheaters holding her, Minerva doubted that Hermione would be able to stand on her own.

"Why?"

"I love her…please…_please!"_

"Begging doesn't become you Minerva."

"Bellatrix!" Albus shouted, for once allowing his anger to show. "What do you want?"

"Retribution." She cried. "For my husband." Minerva's eyes widened in realization. "So you do remember? Then again, it's not something you can forget is it? Why should I spare her Minerva? Why should I spare the person you love, when you robbed me off my husband?"

"IT WAS A WAR!" Minerva cried out. This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't be. It was at this moment that Minerva truly understood how it must have felt for Bellatrix all those years ago and she was racked with guilt. It didn't matter that they had been in a war, there was no excuse for what she had done, and now, all those years later, she was being punished for it.

"That's no excuse and you know it!" Bellatrix was shaking; half with anger and half with joy. Minerva struggled against the hold of one of the larger deatheaters (who grabbed her a few moments ago) desperate to get to Hermione before Bellatrix carried out her threat. She looked around, realizing that the ministry officials had been awfully quiet since the unexpected arrival of a few deatheaters. She locked eyes with Albus, who was unable to approach them, much to his frustration.

"YOU KILLED COUNTLESS PEOPLE! How is this any different?"

"He begged you. He pleaded for mercy and what did you do? You tortured him to death!" Bellatrix screeched. Hermione stared at Minerva, unwilling to believe it. Confusion washed over Minerva and Albus; He had never begged for mercy, nor did Minerva torture him. In fact she hadn't fired the killing curse, none of the order had. Minerva had been present at the battle, but Albus couldn't for the life of him figure out why Bellatrix wanted revenge against her specifically. Minerva looked to Albus, wondering if he knew something she didn't. Bellatrix, having taken a few deep breaths to calm down waited for someone to speak. After a few moments, she could no longer bare the silence. Taking Minerva's lack of a response as an omission of guilt, she strolled towards Hermione, using her wand to gently push a strand of her hair away from her eyes. The sudden, more intimate action jarred Minerva out of her confusion.

"Don't touch her!" She growled.

Bellatrix smirked, not paying any attention to the fuming witch. She stepped back and raised her wand.

"No wait!" Minerva screamed. _The Aurors will come; I just need to stall her._

"Minerva never tortured your husband Bellatrix." Silence washed over the room. Bellatrix had always been told that her husband had been tortured by Minerva, ever since it had happened all those years ago, an yet, something was compelling her to listen to Dumbledore.

"You're lying." She stuttered. "The dark lord showed me the body. Lucius showed me his memory, I saw you kill him–"

"Memories can be altered, twisted so that the truth remains hidden. You know as well as I do that you-know-who used to manipulate memories to get people to join his cause, as well as securing his followers loyalty by showing them images of loved ones being tortured by the Order. Minerva is innocent. Rodulphus apparatted away from the battle. He was alive."

"The dark lord would never lie to me, or question my loyalty."

"They're lying Bellatrix." Yaxley yelled. "They killed him out of cold blood. It's only fair that you should return the favor. KILL THE MUDBLOOD!" A cheer echoed around the room, only stopping when Bellatrix screamed at them to be silent. She turned back to Minerva.

"You are the reason that my husband is gone."

"And you're the …reason why…so many are…dead." Hermione gasped, wincing as pain shot through her body. "Killing me… won't bring… him back"

"I don't want him back. I want revenge! I want your precious Minerva to go through the same pain she forced me to endure. I want her to wake up every morning, crippled with the memory that she was responsible for your death. I want the image of your body to be burnt into her mind, tormenting her for the rest of her days."

"Why…now? Black…lake?" Hermione struggled to form complete sentences, but the beating she had received a few minutes earlier courtesy of Rosier was making it much harder to breath, let alone talk. Bellatrix seemed puzzled before it clicked.

"In order for Minerva to truly understand my pain, I had to wait until you were a couple, as sickening as that idea is. But now that you are; I see no reason to delay the inevitable."

At this point Bellatrix gestured for the two death eaters holding Hermione to move away from them. Hermione fell to her knees, but defiantly stared into Bellatrix's cold, anger filled eyes. Minerva struggled to withhold a scream of anguish as tears flowed down her cheeks. All around her, death eaters cheered, each waiting for the moment that would end Hermione's life and also her own.

"Take me! Please" She screamed.

"You are going to live with the pain and anger for the rest of your life." Bellatrix screamed.

"Albus do something." Albus desperately struggled against the jelly jinx curse. He was the most powerful wizard since Grindelwald and yet he could do little to stop Bellatrix.

She raised her wand and pointed it directly at Hermione.

"_AVADA –"_

"_NOO!"_

"– _KEDAVRA"_

A jet of green light rushed towards Hermione, hitting her square in the chest. Minerva, unable to comprehend what had just happened felt her knees collapse under her as a harsh sob escaped her lips. She was forced to watch in horror as Hermione was knocked backwards by the force of the curse, her body hitting the floor and remaining still.

"NOOOO! HERMIONE! NOOOOO!"

Bellatrix stumbled backwards; slightly shocked that she had done the deed. She watched as Minerva crawled towards Hermione's body, gathering the woman into her arms and unleashing a cry of pure agony. The sounds of shouting, and curses being fired forced the remaining death eaters to disapparate away. Bellatrix remained for a few seconds, watching as Minerva begged Hermione to wake up.

"Welcome to hell Minerva." The grief stricken witch whipped around, watching as Bellatrix disappeared. Turning back to Hermione she continued to plead, not noticing Albus' hands on her shoulders.

"Mione please…wake up…come on Hermione you can't leave me…I love you…please wake up."

"Minerva, I-I don't know what to say. Im so sorry. There was nothing you could do—"

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY IT! I COULD HAVE STOPPED HER! I SHOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING." She screamed, sobbing into Hermione's shoulder as she gripped the front of Hermione's shirt.

"Please wake up…please…I can't live without you…you mean everything to me…Mione WAKE UP!" Minerva roughly shook Hermione's shoulders, desperate for a sign, a hint that there was still a spark of life inside her. A cold sense of horror washed over her; she would never hear her laugh, never see her brown eyes lit up with excitement, never be able to feel her warm body against her own, and at that moment, it hit her. It was over. There was nothing to live for.

A loud explosion to their left rang out through the room, causing Minerva to fling herself over the young woman's body out of instinct. Looking up, she felt shock, confusion and disbelief overwhelm her senses. Her mouth bobbed up and down, unable to form words, she could only sit their in complete shock.

"Minerva."

"Dear Merlin…H-Hermione?"

-/-/

I am already halfway through the next chapter (my muse came back) and all will be revealed next time. Thank you everyone who reviewed, it really did help and I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations.

xxx


	7. Torture

Chapter seven

Torture

The impromptu fight ended abruptly when the doors to the medical wing were flung open.

Hermione felt her face pale as she locked eyes with Bellatrix, who seemed to be taking great pleasure in watching her visibly shrink away from her.

"Nicely done Draco." She praised. "Now, go help the others while I have a little chat with our favorite mudblood" Draco waited anxiously for a moment before walking away.

"Dammit Malfoy you coward!" Hermione shouted, praying that he would take the bait and stay just a bit longer. The rational side of her concluded that it was less likely that Bellatrix would torture her whilst Malfoy was still in the same room. Then again she had been wrong before...

"No need to add insult to injury Granger. Draco, go fetch Alecto Carrow. Now." Bellatrix glared at Draco, waiting until he had left the room before whipping around to face Hermione. "You will do well to hold your tongue." She screeched, before aiming a kick at Hermione's exposed side. Grunting in shock and pain, she gingerly got to her feet, briefly contemplating making a break for the door, but all hopes of that plan succeeding were dashed when Bellatrix used her wand to securely lock the doors.

"You realize that Minerva will be here as soon as she finds out your inside the castle right?"

"Ahh well here's where my genius comes into play. Do you know what this is?" She asked, holding up a vial. Hermione studied it for a few moments before being compelled to answer.

"Bubble juice?" she quipped.

"Cute, no this is polyjuice potion. I assume you know what's it's used for."

"What did you do?"

Bellatrix laughed loudly, causing Hermione to flinch.

"Nothing yet my dear." Bellatrix smiled leaning towards her and stroking Hermione's cheek lightly. Hermione, who was frozen in shock, could do nothing. Bellatrix continued caressing the soft skin, occasionally twirling a loose curl around her finger.

After a few seconds, Hermione snapped out of it. She shuffled backwards quickly.

"Don't touch me!" Bellatrix smiled, leaning towards her before quickly wrapping her hand behind Hermione's neck and crushing their lips together in a bruising kiss. Bellatrix bit down roughly on Hermione's bottom lip, moaning lightly at the metallic taste of blood. Hermione pushed her away, gasping for air as she ran her fingers over her lip.

"A fighter huh? I like that in my women." Bellatrix cackled, standing up. She watched in amusement as Hermione struggled to put some distance between the two of them.

"I am not, nor will I EVER be your woman!" Hermione stood up in outrage. Throwing caution to the wind, she made a dash for the door, but was struck by a hex just before she reached it.

"Not yet my pet, but you will be." She placed her lips by Hermione's ear. "What can she offer you? A few years together perhaps but that's about it. I could offer you wealth, power, so much more than she could ever dream of offering to you. All you need to do is say yes dear." Hermione shuddered. Oh how she wished Minerva would blast through the doors and rescue her.

"You disgust me. I love Minerva more than I have loved anyone. I would rather spend a few years with her than the rest of my life with you." Hermione spat. She watched as a ray of emotions flashed across Bellatrix's face, ranging from lust to horror to anger in a matter of seconds. She watched her eyes considerably darken before being struck across the face.

"You would do well not to anger me girl, Up till now I have holding back, against my better judgment."

"You tried to kill me a few days ago!"

"Ohhh that was just an act. A ploy if you will. Wouldn't want my brothers and sister to think I had gone soft now would i?"

"it sickens me to admit it but your are very lovely, but that doesn't mean that I won't kill you without a second thought. If you won't join me willingly, then I have no problem with taking you by force." Hermione couldn't help but feel that she was being a bit overdramatic. The doors opened, and for a brief moment, she hoped to whatever god was listening that it was Minerva, but alas it was Malfoy, his usually pale skin seemed to turn translucent, followed by Alecto Carrow, her hair slightly messed up and the sleeves of her black cloak slightly singed. Bellatrix threw the bottle of poly juice at her, instructing her to drink. Carrow did with out question, grimacing at the taste. Hermione watched with morbid fascination as Carrow's form visibly shrank, her hair becoming wavier and turning from black to Brown.

"Uncanny. You see Miss Granger; I know your precious Minerva is at the Ministry, so I and Carrow are going to 'keep her occupied'. Minerva won't come looking for you, if she thinks you are dead will she?" Unable to contain herself, Bellatrix began jumping around, making up random songs about how brilliant her plan was. The doors opened again, and Rowle and McNaire walked towards them, toothy grins plastered on both their faces.

"Why are you doing this?" Hermione didn't receive an answer. Bellatrix turned to Rowle. He stepped forward and bowed.

"She will learn to care about you Bella. Perhaps she just requires a bit of…convincing." Bellatrix nodded.

"See you soon pet, I'll say hello to Minerva for you." She smirked before grabbing Carrow and disapperating.

"W-What are you d-doing?" Draco stuttered. Hermione jumped at the sound of his strained voice. He hadn't been so quiet in the last few minutes; she had completely forgotten that he was present.

"Stick around kid and you'll find out." He laughed, sending a blast of deep red towards her. Her back arched as bursts of white hot agony shot through her bones, forcing Hermione's body to convulse on the floor as screams of agony bounced of the walls. Rowle and McNaire laughed in glee, increasing the power of the cruciatus curse, something that Hermione didn't know was possible. The only person in the room aside from herself who wasn't having a wonderful time was Draco, who if possible became even paler, as he watched Hermione endure agony which could not be comprehended. Mercifully, Rowle ended the curse, turning to Draco with a proud grin on his face.

"Want a go?"

"Come on Draco; you're not a coward are ya?" McNair held his wand for Draco to take. The occupants waited with baited breath; Rowle and McNair eager to continue their little 'game' and Hermione hoping that Draco wouldn't succumb to peer pressure. Draco raised his right hand, taking the wand slowly. He raised it towards Hermione his arm shaking violently.

"C-Crucio." He stuttered. The same white hot pain shot through Hermione so suddenly, she wasn't even able to catch her breath. Her mouth hung open, trying to get oxygen inside her starved lungs. The curse was strong; but not as powerful as it previously had been much to her relief. Draco stepped back, unable to look Hermione in the face as she rolled onto her side, gasping for breath as tears slipped past her eye lids.

"I must admit, I never though you'd have it in ya' Malfoy." Rowle said, clapping him on the back.

"Well he's got more balls than Lucius." The two death eaters laughed loudly, momentarily forgetting that Hermione was still there, not that she was complaining. She rolled onto her back, stifling a groan of pain by biting her lip until it bled. Her vision was slightly blurry and there was a slight ringing in her ears; some of the many after effects from the cruciatus curse, making it difficult for her to see and hear what was going on.

"I wish we could see Minerva's face right now, it's probably priceless." The two men laughed before staring at Hermione, contemplating something. Rowle pulled out his wand, and for a short sickening moment, Hermione assumed that he was going to continue torturing her but to her immense relief, he waved his wand through the air, a stream of silver weaving its way around the room before forming an oval just above them. Hermione sat up, wincing slightly, but refusing to draw any attention to herself, swallowed a groan and watched as shapes began appearing in the oval.

"_Bring her." _

"_HERMIONE!" _

"_Where do you think you're going my dear Minerva?"._

"_Let her go Bellatrix. She's innocent in this!" _

"_She may be innocent Minerva…but you're not."_

"_Then hurt me! Kill me if you want just please…let her go!"_

Laughter echoed through the room. Hermione had hoped that Minerva would be able to tell the difference between herself and Alecto Carrow disguised as herself, but seeing the turmoil and pain Minerva was experiencing made her realize that Bellatrix's plan may actually work, and that thought alone scared her more than the prospect of being tortured again as Rowle again waved his wand, the images disappearing in a flourish.

"Now what are we going to do with you eh?" A large shadow stepped in front of her, towering over, intimidating her slightly. "Bella wants us to make you more co-operative for her, but we've got a few problems with that ain't we McNaire? She doesn't really love you Muddy."

Hermione bit her lip. _I really hope that's true. _She thought.

"Bella's blinded with fury, not to mention her lust for revenge. It's made her think that she likes you, but as soon as she destroys Minerva she'll come to her senses again."

"A mudblood and a pureblood?" Rowle sneered. "Disgusting to even think about."

"Insulting is more like it." McNaire added, walking over to them. Draco remained still, his hand still grasped around the wand as he watched them walk around Hermione.

"What will you do?" he asked, locking eyes with Hermione for the first time since he came back with Alecto Carrow.

"Kill her obviously." Rowle walked towards Hermione, his wand drawn.

"B-but Bellatrix said to—

"- Bellatrix wanted us to convince Granger to ditch the old professor. Seeing as that's not going to happen, we have to take matters into our own hands."

"B-b-but –"

"Do you have some sort of problem?" Draco jumped back in fright, his eyes going wide. Hermione watched silently, her body aching horribly from the after shocks of the curse. "No? come to think of it, you've always complained about the Mudblood, you should be the one to kill her."

"What?" Hermione, for a moment, thought Draco was going to throw up. He was shaking so violently, she was amazed he was even able to stand on his own two feet.

"Do I need to repeat myself boy?"

"I-I-"

"Come on Draco. NOW!"

_Oh the joys of peer pressure _Hermione thought as the young manstepped closer, his arm raised. A sense of dread washed over her as his footsteps got louder. She shut her eyes tightly, imagining that she was back in Minerva's arms like she had been a few hours ago.

"_Stupefy!" _ Two loud thuds close to where Hermione was laying reached her ears. She looked around wildly, her heat beating so fast she was sure that Malfoy could hear it. Rowle and McNair where lying in a crumpled heap, McNair's wand laying a few inches away from his outstretched hand.

"Draco?"

"I don't hate you Granger." He whispered, dropping to his knees and helping Hermione sit up. She grabbed his cold hand, squeezing it lightly, smiling up at him. He pulled her to her feet, making sure to keep an arm around her waist. He knew first hand what the Crucio curse did to a person and so he was fully prepared when Hermione fell to the floor after trying to take a step forward.

"Are you alright?" For once he seemed genuinely concerned. She took a few deep breaths before answering.

"You're going to have to help me get to the ministry." She said, holding onto his shoulders and hoisting herself upwards, grateful that he kept his arms around his waist. The two walked slowly towards the door, quickly removing the enchantments surrounding the entrance way. Draco pushed the doors open, helping Hermione over the threshold. Immediately, they were bombarded with the smell of smoke and burnt rubble which brought a few tears to her eyes, the sight of the once proud standing castle once again reduced to rubble and the sounds of people dodging spells and running for cover. Draco and Hermione glanced at each other. Hermione knew that she couldn't leave the castle, one of the reasons being that Minerva had forbidden her from doing so, but also because she had no idea how many death eaters were in the castle. For all she knew her professors could be out numbered, or worse, dead. On the other hand, there was no way she was going to allow Bellatrix to carry out her plan. Her mind made up, she pulled Draco down one of the corridors.

"How are we going to get to the Ministry? We can't apparate outside of Hogwarts."

"Did the death eaters disable the floo network?"

"Im not sure. They didn't think that I was trustworthy enough to know. Turns out they were right." He grumbled the last part.

"Well let's try the flireplace in Dumbledore's office." The two stumbled through the smoke, occasionally, ducking down behind some rubble whenever they say a death eater pass by. With a few minutes, they were standing inside the headmaster's office.

"You know, I've never been in here." Draco quipped. Hermione shot him a strained look. "Just trying to relieve the tension." He quipped sheepishly. Rolling her eyes, she hobbled over to the fireplace, gripping her side tightly as she lent down to retrieve the pot of floo powder.

"Ready Draco?"

She turned around, expecting to see him beside her only for him to be on the other side of the room, staring down at his shoes. Hermione walked over to him, resting her hand on his shoulder, partly because she was concerned about him but mostly because she was tired from having walked up all those stairs.

"What's wrong?" She asked. He raised his eyes to meet hers. Shaking his head, he returned his gaze back to the floor before muttering quietly 'I'll be sent to Azkaban." Hermione reeled back from shock; most death eaters she had met gave the impression that Azkaban was just a joke to them; it never occurred to her that Malfoy would feel other wise.

"You won't. I'll explain to the ministry that you were forced to do it. You coming with me will show that you're sorry for what you did." After a tense minute or so, Draco took the pot of floo powder from her and guided them back to the fireplace.

"_Ministry of Magic." _They shouted together before green flames erupted around them.

-/-/

They arrived a few seconds later to complete chaos. Various Aurors were desperately trying to get into the main chambers, where Hermione, assumed was where Bellatrix was. The had even been forced to try and blow the doors apart, oblivious to the fact that the ministry was protected by enchantments designed to prevent any one from forcing their way in.

"Kingsley!" She shouted, dragging Draco over to the tall man. He turned around in shock, his face breaking into a huge, relieved grin.

"Hermione what are you doing here? You shouldn't be here." He cried. Hermione ignored him, rushing over to the door in the corner. Draco followed like an obedient puppy.

"What are you doing? The doors that way."

"We'll apparate into the room." She explained shortly, not willing to waste time by explaining every little action. She needed to get inside now.

"You don't look so good, maybe you should sit down for a bit." Hermione stubbornly refused to listen, if anything she pushed herself harder, throwing her weight against the door and forcing it open. _Damn it that hurt! _Draco grabbed her hand, apperating them into the corridor. Hermione, suddenly feeling exhausted, sagged against Draco who thanks to his quidditch reflexes managed to grab her before she hit the floor.

"Damn it you're hurt. Why can't you ever just think of yourself for once?" She knew he wasn't really talking to her, more to himself. Truth be told, maybe this hadn't been the best idea. Minerva would probably go ballistic when she found out what really happened, and then she would most likely become racked with guilt once seeing her current state. A loud, anguished filled cry suddenly echoed through the corridors, making Hermione jump back to her feet before running down the corridor. Grabbing her wand she used alohamora to open the door, stopping in her tracks when she saw Minerva sobbing over Alecto Carrow's body.

"Minerva."

"Dear Merlin…H-Hermione?"

**Here you go people :) **


	8. Author's note (good news)

Authors note

…ummm….wow it's been a while! To start with I am NOT abandoning this story, this is actually a little note to say that I will be resuming work on this story as well as starting a few new ones. I am so sorry for semi abandoning this! A million things have happened this year that swept me away completely, but now University is finished for the year and I have my spare time back! Hurrah. Stay tuned folks a new chapter will be posted sometime this week. Thank you for your patience, and I'm really sorry for keeping you waiting for so long. Here's hoping that you lovely people can forgive me?! X


	9. Always

Chapter eight

Always

The room was silent; but if Hermione strained her hearing just enough, she could pick up the faint sound of Minerva's erratic breathing. Minerva stared at Hermione in shock and she clenched her hands together tightly as she slowly stood up. She was vaguely aware of Albus standing behind her, and his warm hand on her back was a gentle reminder that what was standing in front of her was real. Hermione took a hesitant step forward, barely conscious of Draco's presence behind her. Minerva continued to stare at the woman in front of her as her eyes darted back and forth between the two students, desperately trying to make sense of what was happening. Albus regained his composure and walked slowly towards Hermione, raising his wand towards her.

"Explain." He stated simply. Hermione gulped at his sharp tone and glanced quickly at Minerva, who had moved to stand behind Albus, her eyes still wide n shock and disbelief. Minerva struggled to form a coherent sentence as she watched the girl in front of her shuffle her feet uncomfortably, obviously unnerved at being the center of attention. Deciding that it was more important to convince Minerva that she was not dead as well as clear Draco's name, Hermione took another unsteady step forward and focused her gaze on the woman visibly shaking before her.

"Minerva, it's me. Bellatrix used a-a polyjuice potion on Carrow… then sent her here as me. Draco…he saved my life and he brought me here. I swear… I'm telling you… the truth." She exhaled sharply as she finished explaining what happened, taking no comfort in the blank faces staring back at her. She wiped her damp hands on her jeans and approached them with a pleading expression. She wasn't sure if Minerva believed her story; after all, it did seem very hard to believe. Minerva turned around and glanced back at the body of 'Hermione' whilst Albus continues to stare at Hermione and Draco with suspicion still evident in his eyes. He raised his wand and muttered a complicated spell under his breath, waving his hand in a wide ark. A blood red beam of light burst out of his wand, surrounding the body in such light that the others had to shield their eyes from its intensity. When they turned back, Albus was stunned and relieved to find 'Hermione' replaced with the cold body of Miss Carrow. Minerva reeled back in shock and stumbled backwards, reaching out a shaking hand towards Hermione who gratefully accepted it. Hermione smiled lovingly and grasped her hand firmly, choosing to ignore the pain emanating form her side in favor of comforting Minerva.

Draco, who had been watching their interaction silently, glanced at Hermione with a soft smile on his face, only for it to be replaced with a look of horror as he rushed over to the witch.

"B-blood! You're bleeding!?" he muttered, his voice unusually high pitched. Hermione stared at him incredulously. Why was he lying to her? If she was bleeding, surely she would have noticed? Draco, seeing the confusion in her eyes stepped closer and pulled her right arm away from her body, his eyes bulging at the sight of her blood stained shirt. Their collective gasps of pain and shock were enough to catch the attention of the headmaster, who turned to his students, an expression of horror on his face as small droplets of deep red blood dripped onto the marble floor. Hermione reluctantly dropped Minerva's hand and touched the area carefully, grimacing at the sharp pain that flared up as a result.

Minerva, who had been staring at the body in front of her in shock, turned around with a huge grin on her face, which dropped instantly as she laid eyes on Hermione. The pair briefly made eye contact and the confusion and pain in Hermione's mocha eyes was enough to spring Minerva into action.

"What happened to you? Are you alright? Of course you're not alright! Albus!" she cried raising one hand to cup Hermione's cheek whilst the other gripped her arm. Hermione drew in a shaky breath as Minerva gazed down at her with grief stricken emerald eyes.

"I—I didn't want…it's not…"

"Shhhh don't try and talk." Hermione nodded slightly as she allowed Minerva to bear the brunt of her weight as she leaned heavily into her.

Albus locked eyes with Malfoy. "Draco, fetch the minister, and a medic!" Draco nodded and ran towards the door. He turned back to Minerva and Hermione and stared back at them with worry. Pushing his feelings aside for the moment, he walked towards the minister, who it seemed had already been on his way. Seeing that the Minster was in a state of shock, Albus slipped away from the two women to allow them some privacy until the nurses arrived.

Minerva watched the man go before turning her attention back to Hermione. Seeing that the girl was struggling to keep her eyes open, she wrapped her arms around her and lowered them gently to the ground. Hermione shuddered as she was placed on the cold marble floor, her skin breaking out into Goosebumps as the cold surrounded her.

Minerva's hands were shaking as she stroked Hermione's hair and grimaced as her fingers became damp with blood. Hermione groaned lightly yet refused to break eye contact with Minerva, no matter how tempting it was to slip into unconsciousness. Minerva's eyes watered as she watched Hermione struggle to catch her breath. A look of desperation passed over Hermione's features as she loosely held Minerva's hand.

"I can't lose you Hermione. Not again. Do you hear me? Not. Again." Hermione nodded slowly, accepting the words without question whilst trying to draw comfort from them. She smiled up at Minerva.

"You won't." She whispered, her eyes closing briefly. Minerva swallowed the growing lump in her throat before leaning down, her lips covering Hermione's tenderly. Pulling back, she let out a breathless laugh at the blissful look on Hermione's face, which disappeared quickly as a wave of pain rushed through her. Minerva felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to stare at the head nurse of St Mungo's. Reluctantly, she stepped aside, allowing the nurse to examine Hermione. Hermione was vaguely aware of the nurse performing diagnostic spells on her, choosing instead to focus on Minerva's warm hand tightly gripping her own. After a few minutes, Minerva was getting restless.

"For merlin's sake, will ya please tell me what is wrong with her?!" She snapped, startling Hermione who had been slipping into unconsciousness. Minerva stroked Hermione's hand with the pad of her thumb apologetically before turning to the medi witch.

"She was hit by the cruciatus curse multiple times, possible broken ribs, im surprised she's even conscious… and it appears there a number of glass shards embedded in the skin" Hermione shuddered before turning to meet the confused Minerva.

"When Draco and I …were fighting over the wand, we knocked over … a tray of glass vials. I must have…fallen on them when …death eaters." Hermione trailed off as she gasped in horror.

"Hermione?"

"Death eaters! They're still at Hogwarts." She gasped, struggling to sit up as realization struck her. They could be dead for all she knew. Minerva carefully pressed down on the distressed girls shoulders, forcing her to remain still as the nurse waved her wand in the air beside her.

"Miss Granger lie still." She snapped "You're injuries are not serious but I daresay your actions this evening did not help. Honestly, running through the hallways. Either way a trip to St Mungo's is in store." She motioned for Minerva to move out of the way as she cast a levitation spell. Minerva jumped up and made to follow them when Hermione pressed a hand against her chest.

"No." Hermione cried. Minerva jumped back in shock. "You have to go to Hogwarts. The death eaters are still there."

"I'm coming with you Hermione."

"No! Please Minerva, you have to stop them. I'll be fine. Please?" Hermione whispered. Minerva stared at her, desperately trying to persuade herself that Hermione was wrong, that Hogwarts could handle themselves. But she could not. "_I turn my back for one day and all hell breaks loose!"_

"Ok."

Minerva, Albus and several Aurors apparatted outside the main gates of Hogwarts. Wasting no time, they marched through the gates, their breaths catching as they laid eyes on the damage caused by the death eaters. Minerva felt a burst of outrage fill her chest, the damage from the final battle had only just been completed; now they would have to completely rebuild. Albus pushed her forwards and the group walked quickly but cautiously into the castle.

The first thing she noticed was how quiet it was. Their footsteps echoed through hallways as they walked towards the great hall, and for a brief moment, Minerva assumed that they had left. In fact she was about to suggest this to the other wizards when a frantic scream of "Down!" caused her to fling herself to the ground as spells from behind them struck the walls, Minerva pushed herself onto her feet and ran behind the statue of Godric Gryffindor, her eyes scanning the open spaces around her desperately as she tried to find the person who had attacked them. She briefly made eye contact with Albus, who was to her relief unhurt, before moving slightly out from behind the statue to check down the corridor. A brief flash of black caught her attention as something or someone ran behind the corner, their shouts fading as they ran deeper into the castle. Recognizing a shrill voice among them, Minerva burst out from behind the statue, running swiftly down the corridor to where she assumed the death eaters would be.

Her vision was blinded by anger as she rounded the corner and saw Bellatrix in front of her. She seemed to be in such deep conversation with one of the men beside her that she didn't realise that Minerva was standing a few yards away, her wand grasped tightly in her hand. She had the advantage. She had played this moment in her head a thousand times since the day at the black lake, but now that the moment was here, now that she could _finally _make sure she never harmed another person, harmed Hermione again, she found she could not utter the words. She stared at the back of Bellatrix's head, the blood pumping in her ears distracting her for a second as she desperately tried to focus on the task at hand.

"_Come on, do something! Avada kedavra …crucio …anything!"_

Knowing that she should take advantage of such a rare opportunity, Minerva stepped forward before pausing as Bellatrix raised her voice in anger.

"She's gone!?" Minerva watched as Bellatrix raised her wand at the man in question, muttering the torture curse under her breath and giggling widely as he cried out in agony. After a few seconds, she stepped away. "Consider yourself lucky. Find the girl."

"B-but she won't obey you?"

"You forget that pain is a wonderful teacher. She will learn to obey"

"_Like hell she will" _Minerva lunged forward and raised her wand, screaming 'Bombarda!'. Her breathing was shallow and heavy as she watched her spell fly around the room before striking the wall behind the death eaters. The spell sent rocks and ruble crashing down onto them, and Minerva would have felt satisfied if not for the gaping wall left in the side of the castle wall as a result of her curse. She raised her wand again as Bellatrix scrambled to her feet, her hair whipping around her as she turned to face McGonagall with a shocked expression on her face. This quickly changed to one of pure joy which only infuriated Minerva more.

"If it isn't the great McGonagall, looking not so great in my opinion. What's wrong? Did your precious _mudblood _get hurt?" Minerva growled low in her throat as Bellatrix cackled loudly. Minerva glared at Bellatrix for a fraction of a second, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Thankfully Bellatrix was so caught up in taunting the other woman she failed to notice the calculated look in her eye before it was too late.

"_Stupefy"_

Bellatrix merely swung her wand to the side, deflecting the curse. The witch laughed manically at Minerva's attempts to disarm her, taking a great deal of pleasure watching the other woman try and control her emotions. Minerva's arm grew weary as she forced her wand to summit to her will, curving and thrusting through the air as various curses were fired down the corridor towards their intended target. She was so focused on revenge, she failed to notice Albus and the others arrive until one of her curses struck an invisible barrier between them. She spluttered in shock and turned towards Albus, who watched his friend closely. He could plainly see what was happening, even if Minerva could not. She was so blinded with rage, she hadn't noticed that her resolve was slipping. Albus knew that if she continued trying to apprehend Bellatrix, she would lose a part of herself. He shook his head and silently pleaded with her to step aside. Up till now, Bellatrix had been able to keep up with Minerva's spell work, blocking and deflecting the curses with only a small degree of difficulty. But she was not immune to Minerva's anger. Only a fool would believe that they could hold their own effectively against such a powerful, _enraged_ witch and Bellatrix was no fool. That's why she now stood with an expression of confusion on her face as Minerva ceased her relentless attack, choosing instead to step aside. She did note however that Minerva kept her wand trained on her, suggesting that just because the headmaster had forced her aside, did not mean she would not pounce again if given the opportunity. Albus seemed to recognize the blood lust in Minerva's eyes once again, and moved to stand between the two witches.

"It was foolish of you to return here tonight Bellatrix. The Aurors are apprehending your _friends _and you will soon join them in Azkaban."

"Love to Albus, but in light of recent developments, I've made other arrangements." Bellatrix sneered, delighting in the way Minerva clenched her fists.

Raising her wand abruptly, Bellatrix screamed 'Avada Kedavra' loudly, gritting her teeth as it collided with Albus' spell halfway between them. The two held their aims, both shaking under the strain of keeping their wands steady yet both refusing to relent. The other death eaters up till now had kept quiet, choosing to observe the events before them, but now seeing that Bellatrix was otherwise engaged, chose to involve themselves. Firing hexes and spells towards the group to Albus' left ignited the tension between both sides, and Minerva ran for cover whilst firing 'Expulso' over her shoulder. Minerva tried to focus on disarming the death eaters but it was difficult to focus on the task at hand when Albus was fighting the woman _she _should be fighting. A deafening sound echoed through the castle, momentarily ceasing the fighting as witches and wizards from both sides looked towards Albus and Bellatrix, who had both been flung backwards from the force of their curses collapsing. Albus, who had managed to stay on his feet despite the force of their combined causes knocking several people over, flicked and turned his wand in the air, a heavy chain suddenly coiling around Bellatrix. Aurors rushed over, quick to disarm her before she could transfigure the steel and Minerva allowed herself to breathe a little easier. She watched as various dark wizards disapparated away, and she knew that she should try and apprehend them, but there were more pressing matters than a few death eaters who would e caught in a matter of days thanks to their foolishness.

"Go Minerva." Albus smiled at the relieved look on Minerva's face before turning back to Bellatrix. Once he was sure that Minerva had disapparated away, he turned to the Aurors clutching Bellatrix tightly.

"Take her directly to Azkaban." He muttered saddened that she had ended up like this. Once considered to be one of the brightest witches of her time, Albus had followed her throughout the years, his heart growing heavier as her interactions with the dark arts became more frequent. Now as he watched her being dragged out of the castle, he couldn't help but wonder if he was to blame for the collapse of the wizarding world. Pushing it to the back of his mind, promising himself that he would deal with his conscience another day walked further into the castle, hoping that his fellow professors were unharmed.

She wanted to believe that everything would be alright, that Bellatrix would be caught and that all the evil in the world would just disappear

Hermione groaned lightly as she drummed her fingers against her knee, watching the door carefully in the hopes that someone would walk through them and banish the boredom and restlessness that had plagued her since her admission an hour ago. She had been poked and prodded from the moment she arrived, and if she hadn't been convinced by the nurses that these medical tests were necessary, she would have walked out of the hospital the moment she arrived.

"Another potion?" she asked the approaching nurse, who handed over the small phial of clear liquid. Hermione dreaded to think what it would taste like; in her experience all potions tasted vial. She glared at the bottle for a few seconds before uncorking it.

"Down the hatch." She muttered more to herself, and downed the liquid quickly, grimacing at the taste. "Disgusting! Surely there is a way to improve the taste?" She asked the nurse, she ignored her in favor of checking the bandages wrapped around Hermione's stomach. The nurse muttered something under her breath which Hermione did not catch although she assumed that whatever it was would not benefit her. Sure was proven correct as the nurse walked off to brew yet another potion. Hermione groaned and fell back onto the bed, her eyes closing for a moment as she tried to process the day's events. The sound of a door crashing into a wall jarred Hermione from her thoughts, and her eyes widened at the sight of a disheveled transfiguration professor scanning the room. Minerva's eyes fell on Hermione and the younger witch smiled in relief. Minerva crossed the room in five long strides, taking Hermione's hand in hers before kissing the girls palm.

"Are you alright? Are they treating you well?" She whispered, cupping the girl's cheek lightly whilst searching her eyes for any sign that she was in pain. Finding nothing but happiness in those soft brown eyes, Minerva allowed herself to relax slightly.

"I'm fine, although I wish they would stop forcing potions down my throat."

"If they feel you need them then you shall have them." Hermione smiled politely and she leaned back against the soft pillows. She shot up a second later, her eyes wide in horror.

"Bellatrix? What happened to her?" Hermione shuddered as she said the woman's name and Minerva softly brushed her lips over the girls forehead in reassurance.

"she is probably being escorted to Azkaban as we speak.

"The others, are they alright?" Confusion promptly turned to understanding and Minerva placed a warm hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"I do not know. In my haste to get here I forgot to find out. Albus is still at the school and will send word when he knows." Hermione's expression clouded over.

"How can you not know? You mean you didn't go looking for them?"

"Well i-"

"They could be dead right now!" Hermione shouted. "They could be under attack as we speak –"

"Don't you think I know that Hermione?" Minerva raised her voice as exhaustion and frustration finally caught up with her. Hermione, unwilling to back down met her anger head on.

"Then why did you not find out?! Why did you rush here when you knew I was safe?"

"Because you're not safe!" Hermione gasped at the emotion in Minerva's voice. "You will never be safe; not while mad men roam this world. I will always run to you Hermione, because I cannot bear the thought of anything happening to you." Hermione slowly reached out and grasped the woman's shaking hand, tracing her thumb over the back of her hand as she waited for Minerva to speak again. Seeing that she as close to crying, Hermione sat up and slowly kissed her. This seemed to snap Minerva out of her memories, and the woman clung to Hermione for dear life, their lips crashing together frantically as they tried to reassure one another that they were both alive. Minerva pulled back reluctantly and she pressed their foreheads together.

"Nothing will ever happen to me."

"You don't know –"

"Nothing" Hermione stroked the woman's cheek softly, their eyes locking as Hermione continued. "Will happen, as long as you are there to save me." Minerva smiled at the words, and for the first time in nearly a month, she began to believe that eventually, everything would be alright. "You will be there to save me? Wont you?" Minerva smiled softly at the hesitation in Hermione's voice, her heart busting as Hermione blushed. She leant down and kissed her bright red cheeks.

"Always."

_A/N: One more chapter I think, sorry it's taken so long, some horrible / happy family stuff got in the way this week. Nearly finished folks! _


End file.
